A Walk To Remember
by tivafan-01
Summary: Based off the movie. After Ziva is assigned to tutor a popular Tony in highschool, Tony finds himself falling for the Israeli outcast. Just when they overcome the social obstacles, Tony learns something about Ziva that will change their lives forever TIVA
1. Chapter 1

Title: A Walk To Remember

Chapter: 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of all other non-original characters from the show.**

Author's note:Hey! So this is my new story! It's based off the movie "A Walk To Remember" but I won't copy _all_ their ideas. :) I hope that you like this story. And I want everyone to know that this was not my idea. It was a request from dizzy-in-the-izzy. Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

Tony flashed a group of girls his famous smile while pulling into the school parking lot. He quickly parked the red convertible he was driving and slowly got out of his car.

Tony grabbed his backpack and slung it loosely over one shoulder before heading over to his friends who were leaning casually against the handrails by the schools front steps.

"Hey Tony!" Josh called out and Tony flashed him a grin before adjusting his backpack to a more comfortable position and leaning on the handrail next to him.

"Hi Tony." A female voice spoke up seductively.

Tony didn't even bother to look at who it was—he already knew.

"What is it Brittany?" He asked a little coldly, hoping that his former girl-friend would get he hint and leave.

_I don't get why she's so obsessed with me. We only went out for two weeks, granted that is longer than my typical relationships but still… I broke up with her a year ago and she's just as desperate now as she was back then. _

"I'm having a party this weekend and was wondering if you wanted to come."

Tony looked around at his other friends who were all shaking their heads, silently telling him that she hadn't invited anyone else.

He turned back to Brittany with a frown, "Sorry Britt, but I've got a bit of a packed schedule right now so I'm not sure if I can make it."

"Oh." The attractive blonde looked down in disappointment for a moment before looking back at Tony with a smile, "Another time then."

"Yeah." Tony faked a grin, "Some other time."

Brittany left and Tony's friends chuckled.

"You know you could just say you don't want to see her?" Mark, another one of Tony's friends, suggested and Tony rolled his eyes.

"I prefer to avoid them until they get the message."

"She got the hint a long time ago, she's just too obsessed to let go." Josh teased, "You've had a 'busy schedule' for what, the past twenty times she's asked you over? Even Mark would catch on after that many rejections."

"Hey!" Mark glared playfully at Josh, "I'm not the one—"

The bell rang before Mark could finish what he was saying.

Tony sighed and picked up his backpack which he'd placed on the ground. "I'll be happy when school is over again."

"Yeah." Josh agreed, "Especially since this is our last year of high school."

Josh paused for a minute and smiled, "We're almost done with this place."

Tony nodded and smiled, then quickly grabbed his gym clothes and headed towards the changing rooms.

All three friends changed quickly and were heading out to the track outside in less than ten minutes.

As soon as they walked outside, however, Coach Jenkins called out to Tony, "DiNozzo! Get over here!"

"Yes Coach!" Tony replied. He shot a confused look at his friends before jogging over to the older man. "Something wrong?"

"We've got a problem." The coach went straight to business and Tony waited for him to continue, "Your grades are slipping and school policy demands that you get them back up or you can't participate in any sports. You're team captain of the football team. I expect you to get those grades up and quick."

"Yes Coach." Tony replied to balding man.

"'Yes Coach' isn't going to cut it here. I've found you a tutor. She's going to help you get your grades back up quickly so you're not kicked off the team."

"She?" Tony asked with interest, and Coach Jenkins rolled his eyes.

"Ziva David."

"The terrorist?!" Tony wondered aloud, referring to the popular rumour about the Israeli outcast who'd joined their high school the previous year.

"She's not a terrorist DiNozzo." Coach Jenkins corrected Tony, "I don't know who started that rumour but they were wrong."

"Right Coach, sorry." Tony offered, even though he believed the rumours just as much as every other kid in school.

Tony wasn't sure how the rumour had started either, but once it had gotten around Ziva David was an instant outcast. Not even her attractive looks could get someone to talk to her after people believed she was a terrorist.

"Pay attention to what Ziva says, she's your only hope of staying on this team and getting a football scholarship." Coach Jenkins ordered and Tony nodded. "Good. We're finished here. Go warm up for class."

Tony nodded before jogging over to his friends.

When Tony neared, Josh turned to look at him, "What'd Jenkins want?"

"Oh." Tony waved his hand dismissively, "It's nothing I just need to get my grades up."

Josh and Mark nodded and Tony grinned at them, "Come on, Coach said to warm up."

Tony started his laps around the track, his mind working faster than his legs.

He'd purposefully left out the fact that he'd have to spend time Ziva in order to get his grades up, but Josh and Mark wouldn't understand.

Tony sighed and ran a hand through his hair. As popular as he was, even his reputation could be ruined by spending time with an outcast like Ziva. She ate lunch with a bunch of other outsiders and had very few friends.

_Why did Coach have to get her as my tutor? If the guys ever find out I'm spending time with 'the terrorist'…_

Tony shook his head and tried not to dwell on the thought. Ziva would help him raise his grades so he could stay on the football team and then they'd go their separate ways… no one else ever had to know.

* * *

**Okay… So I want to say a few things. **

**One, I am not racist. I only have the kids thinking Ziva be a terrorist because she has to be an outcast like in the movie and this is the only way I could ever see her being unpopular. **

**Second, I'm not very pleased with this chapter, but it was more to set the story up than anything else. **

**Anyways… I'm hoping that the story will get better than this. Like I said, I'm not too pleased with the way this chapter came out but it's only setting things up so that I can tell the rest of the story well.**

**Also, I decided to have Ziva tutor Tony instead of them being in a play because I don't want to copy **_**all**_** of the movies ideas and I could see Tony needing help with schoolwork to stay on the team. **

**Anyways. Review and let me know what you think of it so far. Thanks for reading and please read at least one more chapter because that's when the real story will start.**


	2. Chapter 2

Title: A Walk To Remember

Chapter: 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of all other non-original characters from the show.**

Author's note: Thank you all so much for your reviews and your story/author alerts! They made me really happy. :D Anyways... this is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it and thanks for reading!

* * *

Tony ran his hands through his hair and looked at the clock as he silently willed the time to pass quicker.

He glanced down at the work before him and shook his head slowly. He hated math—it simply didn't make sense.

_It's not like I'm ever going to use this stuff when I'm playing professional football anyways…_

The bell rang and Tony quickly packed up his stuff before practically running out of the classroom. He wasn't sure if he'd ever been so thankful to see the end of a school day.

Two of their teachers had decided to give pop-quizzes… both of which Tony already knew he failed miserably.

Instead of socializing, Tony went straight to his locker and packed his bag. He didn't even bother to wait for his friends before leaving the school and getting in his car. He pulled out of the parking lot and let go of all the day's troubles as the cool breeze played gently with his hair.

Tony slowed to a stop when he came to a red light, then began to flirt with a group of girls standing on the sidewalk. The girls smiled and waved at him and Tony smiled in return before taking off again.

He began driving to his place, then remembered Coach Jenkins' orders and changed directions. He pulled the car to a stop in front of an upper-middle class home and got out.

He'd never been inside Ziva's house before, but almost _everyone _in school knew where 'the terrorist' lived.

Tony grabbed his backpack and slung it over one shoulder before walking up the front steps and ringing the doorbell. He waited nervously and braced himself for whatever it was that he'd see inside that house.

A man with steely blue eyes and greying hair opened the door.

"Something I can do for you?" He asked gruffly and Tony looked around in confusion.

"I'm sorry, I must have the wrong house. I'm looking for Ziva David."

The older man looked Tony up and down a minute before stepping aside and allowing him entrance, "You've got the right place. I'm Ziva's father, Gibbs."

Tony nodded slowly before taking a step inside, "Thanks… Gibbs. Is Ziva around? I'd like to talk to her."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow, "About what?"

"School." Tony answered simply and Gibbs knew he wasn't lying.

"Wait here." Gibbs ordered and Tony watched as the older man left the room.

A few moments later, Ziva emerged. She didn't look surprised to see Tony at all.

"Coach Jenkins told me about your problem." She stated simply and Tony couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable as she grew closer.

Ziva stopped a few feet away from him and Tony shifted uncomfortably before looking at his feet, "Yeah… Were you willing to help me?"

"Yes." Ziva replied simply before she began walking away, "Follow me."

Tony nodded, wondering why Ziva was acting so coldly, _Not that's I'd expect anything less from a killer…_

Tony felt his fear grow a little more with each step further he took away from the front door, making escape more difficult.

"Take a seat." Ziva offered and Tony felt his fear slip away as he looked around the room he'd just entered. There were no knives or other weapons hanging on the walls, just pictures. It looked like any other living room.

Tony rolled his eyes at his irrational fear and sat down on the couch.

Ziva sat down next to him and Tony fought the urge to move away. Although he knew that Ziva wasn't _really_ a terrorist, hearing something often enough will always cause you to have a small doubt about the truth.

"What subject do you need help with?" Ziva asked and Tony sighed.

"What subject _don't _I need help with?"

Ziva nodded before taking out her history textbook and opening it.

"Why don't we start with this?"

"Sure." Tony answered as he followed her lead and opened his history textbook.

"What is it that you are having trouble with the most in this class?"

_Staying awake._

Tony shrugged, "I'm having problems with it all. I just can't seem to remember any of it."

Ziva scoffed, "Have you tried making an effort?"

Tony glared at her but knew that her statement was true. "I just can't seem to focus."

Ziva nodded slowly before pointing to a section in Tony's textbook. "Why don't we start here?"

~~~NCIS~~~

About an hour later, Ziva closed her textbook.

"I think that is good for today." She stated and Tony looked up, gratitude written all over his face.

He slowly packed his bag and slung it over his shoulder.

Judging by his lack of speed, Ziva knew something was weighing heavily on his mind. _Probably worrying if anyone saw his car outside my house._

The thought left a bitter taste in Ziva's mouth. She still didn't understand why no one at school would give her a chance.

She had done nothing wrong except be Israeli, which some stupid kid decided automatically made her a terrorist.

Tony stood up slowly and was almost out of the living room before turning around.

"I uh…" He scratched his head and looked away, unable to meet her eyes. "I just wanted to say thanks for your help. I really appreciate it."

Ziva's eyebrows shot up, this she hadn't been expecting.

"I do not mind." She answered and Tony shuffled his feet.

"Could you maybe, you know, help me again?"

Ziva looked at him in confusion. "Is that not what a tutor does? Help you study over a period of time?"

Tony flashed Ziva an uncertain smile, "Yeah… they normally do but I find that most tutors have had enough of trying to help me after only one day."

Ziva rolled her eyes, "I do not give up that easily."

Tony nodded slowly, "So… I'll see you tomorrow, at my place this time?"

"Sure." Ziva answered, and Tony lingered only a short moment longer before turning around and leaving.

Ziva stared at the door for a while after he left, wondering why she was already looking forward to tomorrow so much.

_I simply am glad to have another person at school talking to me._ She told herself, _Anyone would get lonely after being excluded so much._

"Ziva?"

Ziva turned around to see her mom standing there, she'd been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn't heard her coming.

"Yes Mom?"

Jenny Gibbs smiled at Ziva and walked over to her daughter. "Is something wrong?"

"No." Ziva answered any Jenny frowned at her short response.

"Want to talk about it?" She offered but Ziva shook her head slowly.

"Everything's fine Mom."

"Are you sure you're not worried about—"

"I'M FINE!" Ziva shouted, then instantly regretted it when a look of pain crossed her mom's face.

Ziva slowly went to stand next to Jenny and looked down, "I'm sorry Mom. It's not your fault. I just… I try not to think about it too much."

Jenny nodded slowly before pulling Ziva into a gentle hug, "I know Ziva, it's hard. I just want you to know that if you _do_ ever feel the need to talk to someone, I'm here."

"I know Mom." Ziva answered before pulling apart. She studied her adopted mother and smiled, "I'm going to be home a little late tomorrow, that okay?"

Jenny returned Ziva's smile and nodded, "That's fine, just be on time for supper."

* * *

**Okay... so I'm not too sure I'm doing a very good job on this story, but I think that's because it takes a while for the real Tiva to get going. (At first they barely know each other). **

**Anyways, I think that the story will gain more momentum once it gets going, but I still hope that you are enjoying this first part at least a little. Please leave a review and let me know if you are.**

**PS. Those of you who have watched A Walk To Remember know what it is that Jenny thinks Ziva's worried about. :D Those of you who haven't will just have to wait and see.  
**


	3. Chapter 3

Title: A Walk To Remember

Chapter: 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of all other non-original characters from the show.**

Author's note: Hey! :) So… I want to thank everyone for their wonderful reviews. (There were some _really_ nice ones!) I also want to thank everyone for reading and assuring me that this story is not moving too slowly. Anyways… Enjoy!

* * *

_"Tali!" Ziva screeched before playfully punching her sister in the arm. _

_"What? Don't even bother trying to deny it. I saw you--"_

_Ziva leaned over and covered her sister's mouth with her hand. _

_"I didn't do it Dad. Tali's just trying to get me in trouble." Ziva protested to her father who was driving the car they were all in. _

_"You know that I can always tell when you are lying, right Ziva?" Ziva's mother asked from the passenger seat and Ziva made a face before taking her hand away from Tali's mouth. _

_"Then you know that I am not lying." She stated with a confidence she didn't feel._

_Ziva's mother looked at her oldest daughter with raised eyebrows. Before she could say anything, however, Ziva's older brother spoke up from the back seat._

_"How much longer until we are there Aba?" _

_Eli David sighed, "Always the impatient one Ari..." He glanced at the sign which read 'Tel Aviv-29 km' and answered his son, "Not much long--" _

_Eli was unable to finish his statement before the car they were driving exploded into a million pieces. _

"Aba!" Ziva woke up with a start.

She sat straight up in bed and quickly took in her surroundings. Ziva sighed and ran a hand through her hair, _I am in America now, everything is fine._ Ziva closed her eyes at the pain in her chest.

_Everything is not okay. Why can't I just forget about that day? Why can't I pretend as if the explosion never left my family dead and me—_

"Ziva?" Ziva looked up to see Jenny standing in the doorway to her bedroom, concern written all over her face. "Are you okay?"

After taking a deep breath, Ziva nodded. "Yes, I am fine."

Jenny looked at her adopted daughter in concern, "Did you have that dream again?"

Ziva nodded slowly, sadness causing her head to droop, "I'm sorry."

Jenny crossed the room and sat down next to Ziva, "Why would you be sorry?"

"I..." Ziva sighed, "It is not that I do not appreciate all that you and Dad have done for me, it's just--"

"Ziva." Jenny's stern yet caring tone silenced Ziva immediately. "Jethro and I both love you very much, and we know that you love us too. It doesn't upset us in the least that you miss your biological family. You loved them and Jethro and I would never ask you to forget them."

Ziva nodded slowly before looking up at Jenny with relief in her eyes, "Thanks Mom."

Jenny smiled and gently pulled Ziva into a hug before standing up and walking towards the door. She turned around in the doorway and looked at Ziva, "I'm right here if you ever need to talk about _anything_ Ziva."

At her daughter's small nod Jenny smiled and continued, "Good. Now hurry up and get dressed. You're running a little late for school."

Ziva smiled and pushed herself up off her bed. She watched her mother walk away, then grabbed some clean clothes and headed towards the bathroom. Ziva frowned at the pale face which greeted her in the mirror, _it is becoming more obvious._

The thought worried Ziva, but she refused to dwell on it as she stepped into the shower. Fifteen minutes later, she stepped out and quickly dried herself off.

"Ziva!" Gibbs shouted from the other side of the bathroom door, "Hurry up we're running late!"

Ziva sighed but got changed quickly and rushed out of the bathroom. "Sorry Dad." Ziva offered as she raced through the hall, allowing herself a small smile as she grabbed a hairbrush from her dresser, _you can practically _hear_ him roll his eyes._

Gibbs muttered something under his breath that Ziva couldn't hear, but decided she probably didn't want to.

"Unless you want to walk to school, be outside in ten minutes." Ziva rolled her eyes but moved quicker.

She ate breakfast, brushed her hair and teeth, packed her bag and grabbed some money for lunch before running out the front door and getting in her dad's car. She looked at her watch and let out a breathless, "Seven minutes."

Gibbs smirked, then pulled out of the driveway. They rode in a comfortable silence until Gibbs pulled the car to a stop in front of Ziva's school.

"Thanks Dad." Ziva offered as she climbed out of the vehicle, "I'll see you tonight."

"Bye Ziver." Gibbs gave Ziva a small smile before driving off.

Ziva sighed as she turned around and looked at Jefferson High's front entrance. She began walking up the path to the front door, ignoring the looks various people sent her way.

Ziva rolled her eyes when one kid dropped his textbook a few feet in front of her. The boy, who looked to be in grade nine froze for a minute before his eyes widened and he scrambled to pick the book back up. After all his belongings were securlely in his arms, the kid practically ran out of her path but Ziva didn't even bother to acknowledge him. She'd learned not to let things like this affect her a long time ago.

Ziva finally reached the front steps and began to climb them when someone blocked her path. She looked up to find Josh Wagner, one of Tony's best friends, standing in front of her. A humourless smile was plastered on his face.

"Where you going, Zee-vah?" He asked, dragging her name out to annoy her. Ziva rolled her eyes, but decided to ignore him as she tried to step around the popular jock.

Josh, however, had no intentions of letting her go anywhere. "Making more plans to bomb public buildings? Or do you prefer sites of transportation?"

Ziva gritted her teeth together, she felt her temper rise and forced her voice to say level as she ordered, "Get out of my way." After Josh made no attempt to move, Ziva balled her fists and ground out a "Please."

Josh smirked, "I don't know if it would be a smart move to--"

"Come on man." Tony spoke up from where he was leaning against the railing.

His sudden involvement of the situation shocked both Josh and Ziva who were now staring at him with confused expressions.

Tony shifted his weight uncomfortably, "The bell is about to ring and Coach threatened to make us run an extra mile around the track if we're late again. Come on, let's go."

Ziva rolled her eyes, _Of course. I can't believe I actually thought he was standing up for me._

Josh looked at Tony, then Ziva and nodded reluctantly. "Okay man, I do _not_ want to run that extra mile."

Tony smirked before grabbing his backpack from the ground. His friends followed suit and they all began walking away, leaving Ziva behind as if nothing had happened.

Ziva rolled her eyes at their antics and continued up the stairs. She entered the school sighed before heading towards her locker, locker, _it's going to be a long day._

~~~NCIS~~~

Tony closed his gym locker and turned around to see Josh waiting for him. Tony began to walk towards the door, expecting Josh to follow him then turned around in surprise when the other jock made no move to do so.

Josh slowly walked over to Tony and questioned, "Why'd you stick up for 'the terrorist' back there?"

Josh practically spat out _'the terrorist'_ and for some reason, it ground on Tony's nerves.

Instead of mentioning this, however, Tony flashed Josh his famous smile.

"Yeah right." He stated, trying to defend his popular reputation which could be ended instantly by standing up for a person like Ziva. "Like I'd ever stick up for _'the terrorist.'_"

Tony smirked, then turned around and began walking, "Like I said earlier, I just wanted to be on time for class so we wouldn't have to run that mile."

Josh continued to look at Tony for a few seconds, then decided he wasn't lying and smiled.

"Okay man. Let's go."

_

* * *

_

**So… I know Ziva's dream seemed to come out of no where, but I wanted to let you guys know how she became Gibbs and Jenny's daughter, not just have her conveniently placed in their family. Also, that dream will become very important in later chapters… but that's all I'll say for now. :P (I know, it's horrible to tease you like that.) :D**

**Anyways… what do you think? Was Tony standing up for Ziva then turned chicken and backed out or was he only trying to avoid doing the extra mile? Lol, both ways kind of sound like Tony…**

**Please review and thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

Title: A Walk To Remember

Chapter: 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of all other non-original characters from the show.**

Author's note: Does anyone else think that it is plain old mean for the writers of NCIS to be leaving us to wonder what they're going to do next for the next three and a half months! I think it's _very_ mean and am not sure how I am going to handle that long without NCIS, especially when they ended it that way! (I don't like it when I have to wait an extremely long three weeks for a new episode, which we had to do _way_ too often this season, three months will be nearly unbearable!) Anyways… here is the next chapter! I hope you like it and thank you for all your reviews on the last chapter! :)

* * *

Ziva sighed as she walked into her last class of the day, Chemistry 12.

She immediately walked to her assigned seat and sat down, ignoring the many stares that were pointed her way.

She didn't bother returning to the halls to talk with friends, since she didn't have any, and simply stayed in her seat while waiting for the bell to ring.

Several other students entered the classroom, and a group of girls walked in right as the bell rang.

"Please." Mr. Gline, their teacher, began, "Take a seat so we can get started."

Ziva watched in slight amusement as several students grumbled angrily while heading towards their desks.

"Good." Mr. Gline continued once everyone was seated. "I'll hand back your tests from a few days ago and we'll look over it together."

Mr. Gline handed out their tests and Ziva was pleased to see that she had received perfect on it.

Looking around, it was not hard to observe that others hadn't done so well. Many of them had failed, and even more had _just_ made it.

Eventually the grumbles died down and Mr. Gline took control of the room again. He began lecturing the students about their lack of effort when Megan Kyle, the head cheerleader who sat behind Ziva, leaned forwards to get a look at the Israeli's mark.

"100%!" She exclaimed, causing everyone to look their way. Once they realized what Megan was talking about, several sneered.

"Nerd!" One kid accused, and several more nicknames were used before Mr. Glines managed to calm the class.

It was only when the room was completely silent that Mark Prent, one of Tony's friends, spoke up.

"She only knows chemistry so well because she had to learn which chemicals to mix to get the biggest bomb."

The class exploded with laughter and Ziva sunk into her seat. She'd learned long ago that standing up for herself only made matters worse and gave the other students more joy in teasing her.

"MARK PRENT!" Mr. Glines shouted, his face red from anger. Everyone became silent and looked at the teacher with wide eyes—it was rare that the shy man ever displayed such anger.

"You're cruel remarks have just earned you a lunchtime detention with me tomorrow!" When Mark opened his mouth to protest, Mr. Glines shot him a warning look.

Mark glared at Ziva and mumbled something about it being all 'the terrorist's' fault before returning his gaze to Mr. Glines and nodding.

~~~NCIS~~~

Ziva was thankful when the final bell rang, dismissing all the students from class. Mark, along with several other students kept sending her glares the whole class.

She left the classroom and quickly packed her bag. It was only when she was outside that she remembered she had to tutor Tony at his house today.

Without fully thinking her actions through, Ziva walked back into the school in search of Tony. She didn't have to look far before finding him.

Tony was leaning against his locker, flirting with the cheerleaders who were flocked around him and his friends. The only cheerleader that Tony seemed to be uncomfortable around was Brittany.

Ziva had to smirk at this because Brittany _definitely_ didn't look uncomfortable around Tony. She was not very subtle in her attempts to get next to him and was currently clinging to the popular jock's arm—much to the dismay of the other girls and Tony himself.

Ziva rolled her eyes at how desperate all the cheerleaders looked. Although she wasn't the most popular kid in school, even shehad more pride than _that._

She walked over to the group of students, not catching the look of disgust that crossed the girls' faces—or the look of panic on Tony's.

"Shalom." She greeted, then rolled her eyes when no one responded. Turning to Tony, Ziva questioned, "What time do you want me to come over?"

Everyone turned with wide eyes to look at Tony, and it was Brittany who first spoke.

"You invited _'the terrorist' _over to your house?!" She demanded, the anger, hurt, jealousy and shock all evident in her voice.

Tony's eyes grew even wider. He looked around at each of the people surrounding him—everyone but Ziva—and a confident smirk returned to his face.

He rolled his eyes and raised his eyebrows at Ziva before commenting. "There's _no way_ that freak is coming to my house. Last time I checked… I didn't have a death wish."

Tony's friends chuckled and Brittany, along with the other cheerleaders, broke into a loud laughter as Ziva slunk away quietly, pain seeping through all of her veins.

Tony immediately felt regret when he watched her shoulders slump, but knew it was too late now. _She'll forgive me… _He assured himself, _Everyone always does…_

"Nice one man." Josh grinned and smacked Tony playfully on the shoulder before chuckling again, "_Real_ nice one."

Tony managed to produce a fake grin, but he couldn't get over the look on Ziva's face when he turned on her.

"Hey." He spoke up and everyone quieted down, "I've got to run. Sorry that I can't make it to the party tonight, but I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Tony slid his over-filled backpack over his shoulder and left, barely acknowledging everyone's goodbyes.

As soon as he was outside, Tony headed towards his car and threw his bag to the passenger's seat before getting in the drivers' seat.

He started the engine and pulled out of the school parking lot. Tony began driving home, then, when he was sure no one could see him, turned and headed towards Ziva's house.

He was driving down her street just as she turned the corner. Tony slowed his car down and pulled up beside her, "Hey Ziva."

When Ziva refused to acknowledge him, Tony sighed and stopped the car. Her house was only a few houses over and if she went inside, he'd never be able to get her back out. Knowing this, Tony sighed quickly got out of the car and ran to catch up with Ziva.

"Wait up!"

Ziva continued to ignore him, and when Tony stepped in front of her to block her path she simply stepped around him.

"Ziva…" Tony began and finally Ziva lost it.

She turned around to face him and didn't bother to hide the fury in her eyes. "WHAT TONY!"

Tony's mouth dropped open and he couldn't help but take a small step back—the hundreds of times of hearing her be referred to as 'the terrorist' popping into his mind.

A look of pain flashed across Ziva's face and Tony mentally cursed himself. It wasn't like she was an actual terrorist. She'd been helping him raise his grades so he wouldn't be kicked off the football team and lose his chance at a football scholarship, yet he turned on her in order to 'save face.'

"Look Zi—" Tony began but Ziva began walking away from him.

"I need your help!" He called out, and Ziva simply shouted over her shoulder.

"Get someone else to help you…" She paused a moment before adding, "Someone who you don't need a death wish to spend time with."

Tony closed his eyes, _I deserved that._

"I thought you didn't give up that easily!" Tony shouted after Ziva, recalling her words from the day before. "I guess you lied because you're just like everyone else. You just run away from your problems instead of fighting like your life depended on it!"

Much to his surprise, Ziva stopped dead in her tracks. She turned around slowly and retraced her steps.

Ziva then stood right in front of Tony and determination was clear in her eyes as she stated, "I do _not_ run away from my problems. I fight my own demons and _never_ give up."

Before Tony could say anything Ziva took a step back, "I will help you. But you must _**never**_accuse me of running away from my problems because believe me, I fight them _**everyday**__._"

Tony furrowed his brow in confusion, not sure why Ziva had suddenly become so defensive.

"I…" He swallowed before starting again, "I promise."

"Good." Ziva answered as she regained her composure.

Without another word, she walked over to Tony's car and sat in the passenger's seat before looking up at him expectantly, "Now we study, yes?"

Tony smiled before getting into the drivers' seat and taking off.

~~~NCIS~~~

An hour and a half later, Tony looked up from his textbook and simply watched Ziva, who was sitting in the chair across from his in his dining room table.

Ever since Ziva had mentioned the 'demons' she had to face everyday, Tony was curious to find out what they were. He refrained from asking, however, because the determined, yet scared look on her face as she said the words told Tony she didn't want to talk about it.

Tony continued to stare at Ziva, and wondered why he'd never realized how beautiful she was. Her long, thick, black hair was flowing freely down her back. No matter how badly the kids at school were scared of her, even they couldn't deny that she was hot.

Ziva felt Tony's eyes on her and looked up, smiling slightly when his eyes met hers.

"Something wrong?" She asked and Tony shook his head, then changed his mind and nodded.

"Math, or history?" Ziva questioned and Tony shook his head.

"Neither." Ziva looked at Tony in confusion, "But I thought you said you only had math and history homework tonight."

"I do." Tony agreed, "But that's not the problem."

When Ziva looked at him questioningly, Tony continued. "What happened at school was messed up. I was being a jerk and it was especially cruel after you were only trying to help me. I'm sor—"

"Do not apologize." Ziva cut him off and Tony looked surprised so she explained, "My father has always says that apologizing is a sign of weakness."

Tony smirked, "You ever tell him it takes strength to apologize?"

Ziva pursed her lips together as she bit back laughter. _I would _love_ to see the look on his face after saying that._

"No." Ziva answered honestly and Tony grinned.

He opened his mouth to say something when he remembered what this conversation was about. The smile left his face as he turned solemn.

"Seriously though, I was wrong. It was nothing short of cruel to say that. And even if I sound _weak_ for saying this… I'm sorry."

Ziva was caught off guard by Tony's uncharacteristic seriousness so she shrugged it off, "You are not the only one who believes I am a terrorist."

Tony looked at Ziva in amazement before stating honestly, "I don't think you're a terrorist." He paused before adding, "And since I'm apologizing, I may as well get everything cleared up now. I'm sorry for saying you run away from your battles. You take a lot of crap from the kids at school—more than you deserve and you're one of the strongest, most determined people I know."

Tony flashed her one of his infamous grins before continuing, "After all, you're the only one who hasn't given up on me."

* * *

**Okay… So I know that the end of this chapter is sort of out of character, but I thought it was really sweet. :) I hope that you liked this chapter (I forget who it was but someone asked for longer chapters so here is one.) For those who haven't watched the movie (or read the book) I am giving you a lot of hints as to what happens, but I don't know if you've figured it out yet. (If you don't get it know, read over a few chapters once you find out the twist and you'll be kicking yourself for not realizing sooner.)**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

Title: A Walk To Remember

Chapter: 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of all other non-original characters from the show.**

Author's note:Wow. I was _amazed_ at how many reviews I got for the last chapter. I hadn't been getting _too_ many for this story and then all of the sudden I got **a lot**. Thank you all so much! They made my day and caused me to write this chapter faster (and make it longer.) :D So thanks again!

Also, I won't ruin the story for those who haven't read the book or seen the movie, but I got a couple of questions about whether or not I was going to have the… major part of the story line in this story. And the answer is yes. I will, only I had to take a couple chapters to set the story up well so that others who haven't read the book or watched the movie will understand everything that's going on. Anyways, we're getting closer and closer to that moment, (unfortunately, I think it will be a few more chapters) but this chapter will really start to get things going. :D Enjoy!

* * *

**Two weeks later…**

Tony ran one hand through his hair before standing up and handing his history test in.

Mr. Jones, the teacher, raised his eyebrows when he saw that Tony's sheet was full, not empty like it usually was.

"Good job Mr. DiNozzo." He commented in a whisper and Tony nodded before returning to his seat.

He let out a breath and slid further into the chair so he'd be more comfortable. He ran a hand through his hair and fought the urge to sigh.

Although he was pretty sure that he'd actually done well on this test, Tony knew that his place on the football team depended on this mark.

_Relax…_ Tony tried to calm himself, _Ziva's a great tutor and she's taught you well._

Simply the thought of Ziva brought a smile to Tony's lips. It had been two weeks since she first started tutoring him, and he already felt a lot more confident about his schoolwork.

It wasn't just her helping Tony learn though. If there was one thing Tony had learned over the past couple weeks, it was that Ziva really was an amazing person.

To be perfectly honest, Tony didn't understand why she wasn't popular. Sure, some _stupid_ kid decided to tell everyone that she was a terrorist, but how could the others not see how smart, funny and beautiful she was?

"Alright class." Mr. Jones spoke up from behind his desk. "The bell will ring any minute now. Your time is up."

Several students groaned and about half the class mumbled under their breath while handing their tests in.

True to Mr. Jones' word, the bell rang only a few moments later. All the students quickly grabbed their books and raced out the door.

Tony was heading towards his locker when he saw Ziva on the other side of the hallway.

She spotted him too and gave him a small smile before looking down and scurrying away, fearing that he'd make another comment about her to 'keep up appearances.'

As she passed however, Tony's head turned slightly to watch her walk away.

He simply wasn't sure what this strange hold Ziva had on him was, but he felt some sort of connection to her. Tony smirked at how stupid he sounded, but knew that it was the truth. He only began getting to know Ziva two weeks ago, but somehow Tony already knew that he wanted to know her more…

Being totally honest, Tony knew that he was starting to have feelings for her, how deep those feelings went, however, he was not sure.

"Hey man!" Josh came up behind Tony and smacked his shoulder playfully, "How'd the test go? The team's not going to lose our captain because of a stupid grade are we?"

Tony smiled and shook his head, "I don't think so man, I might've actually done well on this one."

Josh raised his eyebrows and looked amused, "You're not turning into a nerd now are you?"

Tony rolled his eyes and his smile grew, "Yeah, cause I'm really the 'bookworm' kind of guy."

Josh chuckled and the two friends headed towards their lockers. After putting their books away, they grabbed their lunch money and headed towards the cafeteria.

The first thing Tony saw when he entered the room was Ziva, sitting alone. For some reason he couldn't explain, Tony felt the urge to go over there and sit next to her.

"Hey." Josh snapped his fingers in front of Tony's face, "TONY!"

"Wha—" Tony snapped out of his daze and realized he'd been staring at Ziva. Blushing he turned to Josh, "Come on, I'm hungry. Let's get's some lunch."

Josh looked at Tony sceptically, "Who were you staring at? 'Cause from where I stood it looked like you were staring at 'the terrorist.'"

Tony ground his teeth together at the spite in Josh's voice as he talked about Ziva.

Tony fought the urge to punch his friend, however, and instead tossed him a smirk.

"Naw… Not staring at anyone," He lied before turning around and walking towards the lunch line, "Just one of those times you space out, ya know?"

A fake grin crossed Josh's face, "Yeah… I know exactly what you mean. Happens to me all the time in class."

Tony chuckled and nothing more was said about the subject as they ordered and paid for their lunch. What both jocks were oblivious to however, was the way that Brittany had seen Tony staring at Ziva and a jealous look crossed her face. _Why is he looking at her?_

"Mark and Justin are already over there." Josh pointed to a table on the other side of the cafeteria and he and Tony joined their friends.

"Hey Tony." Brittany greeted Tony with a warm smile after following him to the table. She slid in the seat across from him and gave Tony her best smile. "I'm having a party this weekend, you want to come?"

"Uh…" Tony searched his mind for any excuse, "I… have to study. Coach ordered me to get my grades up or else I'm off the team so I can't go."

Tony flashed her a smile and only felt slightly guilty when a hurt and disappointed look crossed the girls' face.

"Oh."

"Sorry." Tony offered and Brittany nodded weakly.

"Some other time then?" She asked hopefully and Tony avoided meeting her eyes as he nodded.

"Sure. Some other time."

"Ha!" Justin scoffed and turned to Brittany, "I'll tell you what Tony is too much of a wuss to say for himself. You two broke up a year ago. There _is_ no 'other time' and he's just putting you off until you get the message. Stop hounding the poor guy, you have no idea how desperate you look when you keep asking him over after so many rejections. He doesn't like you, get the hin—"

"Justin!" Tony interrupted and glared at his friend.

He turned to look at Brittany, but she had already left so he turned his attention back towards Justin. "What's wrong with you man?"

"Oh please." Justin rolled his eyes, "I did you _both_ a favour. Now you don't have to deal with her anymore and she'll stop embarrassing herself."

"That was a jerk move." Tony ground out and all his friends looked at him funny, it was Josh who spoke up first.

"What's wrong with you man? Justin only did what you refused to. I don't know what's been up with you lately but you've been acting weird for about two weeks now."

Tony glared at his friends, _maybe I'm becoming a better person… Maybe I finally have a _reason_ to be a better person._

At first, the thought seemed to come from out of no where and it surprised Tony, but it didn't take long for him to realize what that reason was--Ziva.

He opened his mouth to speak but Justin cut him off, "Look man, I'm sorry. I could've said that better but you didn't have to freak out on me there."

Tony rolled his eyes, but knew that his friends were right. "Okay, fine. I'm sorry, I guess I overreacted a little."

"A little?" Mark piped up and Tony chuckled.

"Okay fine." He threw his hands up in false surrender, "I give up. You guys were right."

"Ahh…" Josh let out a satisfied sigh and stretched his arms over his head before grinning playfully, "Is there ever a time when we aren't?"

Tony rolled his eyes before playfully smacking Josh in the arm, "Don't even get me started man. 'Cause I could go on _forever."_

Everyone at the table laughed, except for Josh who glared at Tony playfully, "That's low man. Real low."

Tony flashed his friend an innocent smile. He opened his mouth to say something when he noticed Ziva sinking into her chair.

He looked over and his smile disappeared when he saw Brittany and her friends standing over her in laughter.

Without thinking through what he was doing, Tony quickly got to his feet. He forced back a small growl and was about to walk over to the group of girls and tell them off when the bell rang and the group scattered.

All Tony's anger disappeared and was quickly replaced with guilt as Ziva slowly got out from her chair and left the cafeteria with her head down.

_Why didn't I notice sooner?_

"You okay there man?" Mark asked, snapping Tony out of his thoughts.

The popular jock forced a grin and nodded, "Yeah…. I'm just hungry. I was gonna get some more food but the bell rang.""

Tony's whole table of friends looked at him sceptically but Tony chose to ignore them. "Come on. Mrs. Owens threatened to give me a detention if I was late for her class _again_."

Everyone nodded and slowly got up before following Tony out of the room.

Tony fought the urge to stomp over to where Brittany and her friends were whispering in a corner, no doubt about Ziva who was standing less than five metres away.

The group of girls broke into laughter as Brittany said something. Tony strained to hear what they were whispering, but wasn't able to hear anything other than, "It's a plan. I can't for tomorrow."

Not really understanding why, Tony smiled to himself. They weren't talking about Ziva. They were probably planning a sleepover—or talking about the party he was 'unable' to go to.

The girls quieted as Tony walked by and several flashed him their best smile. Tony ignored them though, suddenly wondering what it was that he ever saw in those girls.

_I only want one girl…_

Tony's eyes grew wide at that thought. What was he talking about?! Tony DiNozzo was not a 'one girl' type of guy. He was a 'go out with every girl in school' kind of guy, believing otherwise was just crazy… or was it?

He'd already admitted to himself that Ziva was special… unlike any other girl he'd ever met. He had stronger feelings for her than any other girl too, and he hadn't even dated her yet.

Tony stopped dead in his tracks and his eyes widened. YET?

Wow. He started walking again, but his mind was working faster than his legs.

He couldn't go out with Ziva. She was unpopular and would totally ruin the reputation he'd worked so hard to build up.

_Then why do I want her so badly???_

Tony ran his hands through his hair and sighed.

_What's wrong with me? Ever since Ziva started tutoring me I've been different. I'm not this guy. I don't get these feelings. I'm Tony DiNozzo, the famous player. I do NOT fall in love._

Again, Tony stopped walking and his eyes widened. The last thought effectively paralyzing him.

_Love?

* * *

_

**Okay… So I apologize that this chapter was a little out of character, but I was trying to show how much Ziva is changing Tony and, like in the movie, he's becoming a better person for her. (So sweet!) Also, the slowness of the story was **_**really **_**getting on my nerves, so I sped it up a little bit, considering that there is so much more of this story to tell.**

**So… Are you happy now? Tony finally realized that he loves Ziva. (I apologize if it went by way too quickly, but like I said, them **_**falling**_** in love is only the beginning of the story so it wasn't supposed to take forever.)**

**Anyways… Next chapter: Ziva's POV about Tony and the past two weeks when they 'got to know each other' better and grew closer than either one of them would have ever imagined. (That's not really ruining the story since I just went over this with Tony's POV.) **

**I hope you liked this, it was a lot of fun to write! Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

Title: A Walk To Remember

Chapter: 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of all other non-original characters from the show.**

Author's note:Thank you all SO much for your reviews! I'm sorry for the extra long update, but I'm super busy right now and didn't have time. Sorry that this chapter is a little shorter and doesn't flow as well, but I wanted to update today. Also, this is more of a filler chapter until the next one. (Just so you know, that's when this story is really going to take off.) I won't say anything more though. ;)  
Also, sorry if I wasn't too clear on this, but this story is based on the movie (and book) A Walk To Remember, written by Nicholas Sparks. Enjoy!

* * *

Ziva smiled to herself as she quickly unlocked the front door to her house and stepped inside.

"Mom?" She called out and was answered when Jenny appeared in the kitchen doorway.

Jenny looked at her watch, "Oh! I hadn't realized that it was already 3:30."

Ziva smiled at her mom, "I'm going to take a shower and grab some clean clothes."

Jenny raised her eyebrows, "Is Tony coming over tonight?"

A faint blush crept to Ziva's cheeks, but she tried to draw attention away from it by rolling her eyes. "Yes Mom, he is. But can't I just want to be clean?"

Jenny didn't comment, she simply looked at Ziva knowingly. Ziva tried not to show how much it unnerved her that Jenny could read her thoughts so well.

_Am I that obvious about Tony? _She questioned herself while racing up the stairs and into her bedroom where she grabbed a nice shirt and capris. She then walked towards the bathroom and closed the door before quickly disposing of her old clothes and stepping in the shower.

For the past two weeks, Ziva had been questioning just what it was that she felt towards Tony, but it was only yesterday that she finally realized—she was in love.

Ziva smiled to herself as she remembered the revelation. She had been lying awake in bed for hours, yet she couldn't fall asleep because Tony occupied her thoughts. It was then that she finally forced herself to face the question she'd been purposely avoiding—just what did Tony mean to her?

The answer had been both terrifying and wonderful. Love was a new feeling to Ziva. Sure, she loved Jenny, Gibbs and her biological family, but never before had she felt the kind of love she felt for Tony—the kind of love where he was always on her mind. Now that Ziva finally admitted what Tony meant to her, she had to know what _she _meant to _Tony_.

"Ziva!" Jenny banged on the bathroom door and snapped Ziva out of her thoughts. "Hurry up you've been in there for half an hour!"

Ziva looked at her watch and swore under her breath. _Tony will be here any minute now. _

Ziva quickly shut the water off and stepped out of the shower. She quickly dried herself off and got dressed. Opening the bathroom door, Ziva jumped in surprise to see Jenny standing right in front of her—fist poised and ready to knock on the door again.

Jenny jumped too, then saw Ziva standing in front of her and chuckled, "Tony is here. He's waiting downstairs."

Ziva's eyes widened and she quickly threw her dirty clothes in her bedroom before bounding down the stairs. She entered the living room and smiled at Tony who was waiting patiently for her on the couch.

"Sorry." She offered and Tony grinned.

"I thought that apologizing showed weakness." He stated and Ziva rolled her eyes playfully.

"Whatever."

She walked over to the couch and sat down next to Tony, then reached forward and grabbed her homework out of her backpack. When Tony didn't do the same, she looked at him to see what was wrong.

Ziva was unable to voice her question, however, because the warmth in Tony's eyes took her breath away. He wasn't smiling, but simply staring at her in wonder.

The way his eyes were sparkling ignited a small flame of hope within Ziva, _maybe he does care…_

Tony realized he was staring at Ziva and blushed before turning away and reaching for his books.

"So… I have quite a bit of homework. I might be here for a little longer today."

"Okay." Ziva shrugged nonchalantly, even though she was secretly happy they'd be spending more time together—little did she know that Tony was thinking along the same lines.

"The first thing I have is math." Tony grimaced, "As much as you've helped me with all of this, math is still my worst subject."

Ziva chuckled, the sound making Tony smile widely.

Ziva turned to look at him and Tony quickly opened his textbook, avoiding eye contact with Ziva as he knew she'd be able to see how much he cared for her. _I have to know if she feels the same way before I say anything…_

Tony watched out of the corner of his eye as Ziva furrowed her brow in confusion as she stared at the homework before her. He smiled softly to himself, thinking about how cute she was when she was confused, before starting on his own work.

Half an hour later, he ran both hands through his hair and sighed.

Ziva looked up at him expectantly. "Need some help?"

Tony flashed Ziva a grateful grin before shuffling slightly closer to her, his heart rate accelerating as he did so. They were practically touching, and the close proximity was making it even harder for Tony to think. He was barely able to stutter, "Uh… I, uh… I need help with this one."

Ziva nodded slowly, her heart was also racing at how close they were. She looked at the question Tony was pointing at and smiled.

She looked at his notes and nodded, "You simply forgot to carry the negative."

Tony looked at Ziva questioningly so she pointed to the problem, realization dawned in Tony's eyes as she did so.

He sighed and ran both hands through his hair, "I was working on this question for twenty minutes, yet you solved it in less than twenty _seconds!"_

Ziva chuckled at the awe in his voice, then waved it off as nothing special, "Sometimes you simply need a fresh pair of eyes looking at it."

Tony nodded, "Thanks Zee."

Ziva smiled at the nickname, it showed how much more comfortable he had become with her.

"Do you want a drink?" She offered and Tony gladly accepted.

"That'd be great."

Ziva smiled and pushed herself up off the couch before walking towards the kitchen, Tony's eyes following her every move as she did so.

As soon as she was out of his sight, Tony ran his hands through his hair again and let out another sigh.

"You're in deep." He mumbled to himself, then jumped when a voice spoke up from behind him.

"Deep in what?"

Tony's eyes widened and he turned around to see Jenny, Ziva's mom, standing there with a knowing smirk on her face.

Tony blushed deeply, "I… uh, I'm in deep with this…" He looked down at the textbook in his hand and supplied, "math problem. I'm starting to do better in it, but I still find math _very_ confusing at times."

Jenny chuckled, "I am sure that you get… confused sometimes." She agreed, even though she was talking more about Tony's feelings for her daughter.

"I sure hope Ziva is helping you figure some of this stuff out though, right?" She teased, then decided to give Tony a break when he blushed a deep crimson.

"I was actually only coming in here too offer you and Ziva a drink, where is she anyways?"

"Oh." Tony regained his composure and flashed Jenny his famous grin, "She's getting us something to drink, but thanks anyways."

Jenny smiled at Tony, "Okay. Well… good luck with your studying."

Tony nodded and Jenny left the room quietly, smirking to herself at how obvious Tony and Ziva were. After watching them for a few minutes today, Jenny had no doubt that they knew how much they cared for the other. She was also sure, however, that both of them were oblivious to the fact that the other felt the same way.

* * *

**So... Like I said, this is more of a filler chapter. Also, the next chapter is where the story gets going a little more. It's still not going to be an exact copy of the movie, but the next chapter will have a few moments from 'll see what I mean when you read it. **

**Anyways... I still hope you enjoyed this chapter and the other parts of the story so far, but like I said, the next chapter is where the story really gets going.**

**Please review!  
**


	7. Chapter 7

Title: A Walk To Remember

Chapter: 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of all other non-original characters from the show.**

Author's note: Okay... You asked for a quick update? I gave you a quick update! (LOL, sorry I'm a little hyper right now.) Anyways, thanks SO much for all of your reviews! I loved them. Seriously, I was smiling like MAD when I read them! So thank you! Also, as promised, here is the next chapter. I personally think that this is the best one yet, but you will have to read it before judging. So... enjoy!

* * *

Ziva hummed quietly to herself as she put her math textbook away and closed her locker door. She headed towards the school cafeteria, very aware of the fact that everyone was watching her.

Ziva flashed a few people odd looks and they quickly re-focused their attention or scurried away. It was only when she got to the cafeteria doors that she had a clue what was going on.

Brittany and all of the other popular girls were gathered in a close-knit circle. They were whispering softly and giggling every few seconds. They only stopped and looked up from their circle when Ziva walked by. _What rumours have they spread now?_

She placed a hand on the cafeteria door and paused as Brittany and her friends continued to watch her. Sighing, she ignored them and pushed open the door before stepping inside.

Ziva didn't even notice that the girls had entered the cafeteria after her—she was too preoccupied looking at the posters on the wall.

Her heart fell and she closed her eyes in pain and disgust. _Who could do this? What did I ever do to them?_

She opened her eyes and looked at the popular jocks sitting in the middle of the cafeteria, laughing at her expense.

Ziva blinked back tears as she took a step back in retreat. She didn't bother to watch where she was going and kept moving back, only stopping when she hit resistance.

Ziva spun around, even more embarrassed than before, then noticed she'd backed into Tony who had just entered the room.

Concern was etched all over Tony's face as he saw how close to tears Ziva was. Not caring that everyone could see what he was doing, Tony searched Ziva's eyes for an answer as he questioned, "Zee. What's wrong?"

When Ziva didn't answer, Tony looked around the room. He noticed the pictures on the wall and stepped closer to get a better look.

His eyes widened as he realized what was on the posters. Someone had taken Ziva's face, and put it on a body of a gun-wielding terrorist. Four words were printed in bold red type, GO BACK TO ISRAEL.

Tony turned around in a rage, looking for whoever had made the posters. He didn't have to look far, however, as he spotted Brittany and the other popular girls standing around his 'friends' in the middle of the room.

"Go back to Israel, you don't belong here!" Josh shouted out and Tony turned to look at Ziva.

The pain he saw in her eyes set him off into a blind rage. He ripped the poster off the wall and crossed the room in a matter of seconds so that he stood in front of Josh with his fists clenched.

"Did you do this?" Tony demanded, lifting up the poster as he barely managed to control his anger.

"I helped." Josh boasted with a cocky smirk.

Tony glared at Josh, and when no apology was directed at Ziva, he lifted his fist and punched him square in the face. His former friend swore and reached up to hold his now-broken nose.

After a few more curses were thrown Tony's way, Josh glared at him.

"We're done man. You'll never be popular again!"

Tony turned around and was halfway out of the room before commenting, "That's fine with me!"

He slammed the door behind him, not even bothering to acknowledge Josh's "You've just made a _big_ mistake!"

Tony ran both hands through his hair and searched frantically for Ziva. "Ziva?!"

He ran to the front doors of the school and saw her hurrying down the stairs, "Ziva!"

Ziva's feet continued to pound the cement as she ignored Tony who quickly caught up with her and grabbed her arm in a gentle yet firm grip.

Ziva tried to pull her arm away, but Tony forced her to face him. His disgust with Josh grew as he noticed the tears that were rolling down Ziva's face. She went to wipe them away, but Tony did so with the back of his thumbs before she could.

Ziva refused to meet his eyes, but Tony lowered his face so that she had to. "I'm sorry Ziva. I'm _so_ sorry. I never realized what kind of _animals_ they were."

Ziva nodded and pulled her arm away from Tony before looking towards the ground and hurrying off again. She hated showing such weakness. If there was one thing Ziva prided herself in it was being tough. She didn't let things get to her easily and she _never_ cried.

Tony quickly caught up with Ziva again and blocked her path, "Come on Ziva, talk to me."

When Ziva still refused to meet his gaze, Tony sighed. "Please Zee. Just talk to me. I'm sorry about those guys."

When Ziva didn't answer Tony sighed in defeat.

"Are you okay?" He questioned, and the care in his voice threatened to send Ziva into tears again.

_Do not do this Ziva. Do not cry. You have faced much worse in your life and are _facing_ much worse right now. You can face this too._

Still, even as Ziva told herself these things, she felt her resolve slipping. She'd faced too many things, fought too many demons and kept too much inside. Now, she was slowly starting to burst and Tony was tearing down the last of her defensive walls.

"Do not do this Tony. I can fight my own battles." Ziva paused a moment before adding, "I always have."

Tony sighed and ran both hands through his hair, "But you don't have to anymore. Now I'm offering to stand by your side and fight them with you!"

He gently took a hold of her shoulders and stared into her chocolate brown eyes to show he meant it. "I'm serious Ziva. Please, just let me help you."

Ziva closed her eyes before whispering, "I can't."

Tony sighed and ran both hands through his hair, "Why not? Why do you have to fight all your battles by yourself? Why won't you let me help you?!"

The rising volume in Tony's voice was a clear sign that he was getting frustrated, but Ziva remained calm as she stated.

"Because some battles you must face alone. Some battles," She paused and looked Tony in the eyes, "no one can help me with."

With that, Ziva stepped around Tony and began running away. She ignored the pounding in her chest and forced herself further.

Tony stood, watching helplessly as each step Ziva took carried her further away from him. He blinked back tears of his own as Ziva's feet pounded against the freshly cut grass.

He sighed and ran both hands through his hair. It broke his heart to watch Ziva leave, yet he was unable to tear his eyes away.

He was about to turn around when Ziva suddenly collapsed, landing on the hard ground in a pile.

"Ziva!" Tony practically screamed before racing towards her. He knelt down by her side and placed one hand on either side of her face.

"Ziva?" He gently stroked her hair, "Come on Ziva, wake up!"

When he received no answer, Tony swallowed the rapidly-forming lump in his throat. He quickly pulled out his phone and dialled 911.

* * *

**Wow... Intense or what?! I know it's SO mean to leave you hanging there, but it also makes for a pretty interesting place to stop. I will try my best to update quickly.**

**Also, I still think that this was the best chapter yet, but you may not agree. The poster idea was like from the movie, but I made some changes to make it fit to the story. Plus, those who have read the story or seen the movie know what is going to happen next with Ziva... or do you? Lol, I love cliffhangers. Well... I love writing them. I hate reading them because I'm curious and want to know what will happen next. So I guess I'm a bit of a hypocrite. :p Still, at least I'm not making you wait 3.5 MONTHS for an update (like NCIS is doing to us! How cruel!)**

**Anyways... I hope you liked it. Review if you did and let me know how I'm doing! Thanks for reading!  
**


	8. Chapter 8

Title: A Walk To Remember

Chapter: 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of all other non-original characters from the show.**

Author's note:WOW! Thank you all SO much for the reviews. I absolutely LOVED them! It took a little longer to update this time (but it wasn't _too _long) but I made up for it by posting a longer chapter. It is definitely the longest chapter of this story so far, and a lot of important stuff happens in it. I won't say anything else though, because I don't want to ruin it. Anyways… enjoy!

* * *

Tony ran both hands through his hair as he paced the hospital waiting room. Ziva had only been in with the doctors for five minutes, but they were the longest five minutes of Tony's life.

He'd tried sitting down and waiting patiently, but found himself unable to do so. He was too restless and that added with his worry over Ziva made it impossible to sit still.

"Tony!"

Tony turned around to see Jenny running down the hospital hallway, stopping only a few feet from him. "How is she? What happened?"

Tony noticed the tears in Jenny's eyes and softened his voice as he explained, "We were outside and she started running, then she collapsed. It was so sudden…"

Tony voice cracked as he remembered. "I ran up to her and knelt down beside her. When she wouldn't get up, I called 911. Then I called you and Gibbs. The ambulance arrived but they wouldn't let me ride with her so I followed them in my car."

Tony was practically in tears himself and Jenny pulled herself together so she could comfort him. "It's okay Tony. Ziva's strong, she'll be okay."

Tony nodded solemnly but Jenny knew that he didn't believe her.

"How is she?" Gibbs asked after walking up to them.

Tony looked up and noticed the soft look in Gibbs' eyes. Although he wasn't about to cry, Tony could tell that this was just as hard on Gibbs as everyone else—only he'd stay strong for them.

Sure enough, Gibbs wrapped a comforting arm around Jenny's waist. He closed his eyes for a moment to gain control of his emotions then turned to Tony, "What happened?"

Tony repeated what he had just told Jenny and Gibbs nodded. He tightened his hold on Jenny as she was becoming increasingly emotional and for a while the three just stood there while others moved around them. They all looked lost, as if, without Ziva, they simply weren't sure what to do anymore.

"It's my fault." Tony admitted, then closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to see the pain on Jenny and Gibbs' faces.

After his mother died while giving birth to Tony, his father had decided that alcohol was the only way to cope. Ever since Tony could remember, his dad would either be passed out on the couch or swearing at him in a drunken rage. When he and Ziva began spending time together, Tony had grown closer to Ziva's parents too and in reality, Jenny and Gibbs were the only 'parents' Tony ever knew. It was killing him to know that he was responsible for causing them pain.

When Tony's admission wasn't answered, he opened his eyes and forced himself to look at Ziva's parents.

Jenny was staring at him in shock and disbelief while Gibbs had fire in his eyes as he took a menacing step closer to Tony.

"What did you do to her?!" He demanded and Tony bit his lip to keep it from quivering.

Jenny placed a hand on Gibbs' forearm to stop him from doing anything he'd later regret. She opened her mouth to say something but Tony cut her off.

"A bunch of kids at school—kids that I thought were my friends—made posters of Ziva. They put her face on a terrorist and then typed 'GO BACK TO ISRAEL.'" Tony took a deep breath to calm himself before continuing, "The posters were hanging _all_ over the cafeteria and Ziva had already seen them by the time I got there. She was walking backwards and didn't watch where she was going, so she backed into me. When she turned around, I saw that she was close to tears so I asked if she was okay. She didn't answer me and that's when I saw the posters. I got into an argument with my friends and I ended up punching one of them who was bragging about how he helped make the posters. When I turned around, Ziva was gone. I went to look for her and saw her leaving the school. I ran to catch up with her but she didn't want to talk. I tried to get her to open up but she refused and then ran off. "

Tony closed his eyes as he recounted the rest of the afternoon's events. "I wasn't sure what to do, so I simply watched her run away, and just when I was about to leave, she collapsed. I ran up to her but she still hadn't moved. No matter what I did she wouldn't respond so I called 911 then I called you guys."

Tony sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "I was the only one there—the only one who could've done something… but I didn't. I'm sorry."

Much to Tony's surprise, Jenny and Gibbs didn't break into tears, threaten to have him arrested or say that they could never forgive him. Instead, Jenny looked at him sympathetically and Gibbs reached out and smacked the back of Tony's head.

The jock's eyes widened in surprise, but he found himself lacking a response to Gibbs' behaviour.

"That's for blaming yourself." Gibbs answered Tony's unspoken question before continuing, "There's nothing that _any_ of us could have done to prevent this. It's _no one's_ fault."

Tony swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded, "Yes Gibbs."

The older man nodded and opened his mouth to say something else, then shut it when he saw the nurse approaching them.

"Family of Miss Da-veed?" She questioned and Gibbs nodded.

"It appears that Miss Da-veed will be fine. She just fainted." Jenny, Gibbs and Tony all visibly relaxed.

Jenny let out a sigh in relief and Tony's usual smile returned to its' place. Even Gibbs was smiling, "Can we see her?"

The nurse thought a moment before nodding, "Yes… But only one person at a time."

Gibbs nodded at the nurse dismissively before turning to Jenny, "Why don't you go in first?"

Jenny happily obliged and, after asking the nurse which room Ziva was in, quickly hurried away. As soon as she was gone, Gibbs turned to Tony.

"How long has this been going on for?"

At Tony's questioning look, Gibbs explained, "Ziva and the other kids at school. She was being bullied?"

Tony refused to meet Gibbs' eyes as he nodded. "Yeah. And it's been like this since her first day at Jefferson."

Gibbs sighed in frustration before crossing the room and taking a seat in one of the many chairs.

Tony followed him at a small distance, then carefully took the chair beside him. He waited in silence for Gibbs to comment on the new information.

"We suspected that there might be something going on." Gibbs finally spoke up, he shook his head slowly. "But Ziva's never let on that something was wrong."

Tony ran both hands through his hair. "I should've said something sooner."

"Yeah." Gibbs agreed, not bothering to disagree with Tony to clear the jock's conscience. "You should've. But at least you ended up doing something about it, which is more than I can say for the other _hundreds_ of students that go to that same school."

Tony bit his lip nervously before questioning, "Do you think she'll ever forgive me?"

Gibbs focused his gaze on Tony, "I guess you'll have to ask her."

Tony nodded, knowing from Gibbs' answer that it wasn't likely.

"But the Ziva I know," Gibbs continued when he noticed the stressed look on Tony's face, "Wouldn't let something so simple ruin a good friendship."

Tony nodded solemnly and the two men sat in silence until Jenny returned. It was decided that Gibbs, since he was Ziva's father, would visit her next and Jenny took his vacated seat once Gibbs was out of sight.

Tony and Jenny sat in silence—both lost in their thoughts. It was only when Jenny noticed Tony shifting uncomfortably for the third time in less than thirty seconds that she questioned.

"What's wrong Tony?"

Tony looked up at Jenny with wide eyes, shocked that she had read his mind. Jenny just smiled knowingly, causing Tony to sigh.

"What happened to Ziva's parents?" He blurted out, before realizing how it sounded. "I mean… her biological parents."

When Jenny didn't answer immediately Tony shifted uncomfortably and tried to change the subject. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I didn't mean to be nosy, I'm sorry I guess that curiosity got the best of me. I'm really sorry I never should've asked let's just forget I even said any—"

"Tony!" Jenny said sharply, stopping Tony's ramble. When the jock looked at her with a sheepish smile, Jenny answered his question.

"Ziva's parents—her _first_ parents—died along with her brother and sister in an explosion back in Israel. She was the only survivor and even she was lucky to live. Jethro was sent to investigate when one of his agents were suspected of planting the bomb in the car Ziva's family was driving. The agent was cleared, but Jethro and Ziva grew close during the mission and since Ziva didn't have any family left in Israel, we decided to adopt her."

Tony sat there in silence as he registered Jenny's words. He found himself speechless at the horrible news and the overwhelming grief he felt for Ziva was paralysing.

Jenny watched quietly as Tony stared at her in disbelief. It was obvious that the news was causing him a lot of distress, so she laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I know that this is a lot to process, but I think that if you have any further questions… Ziva should be the one to give the answers."

Tony snapped out of his thoughts and met Jenny's caring gaze. He took a deep breath before nodding slowly.

"That's only fair."

Jenny smiled comfortingly at Tony. Although she hadn't expected him to like the news, she hadn't expected him to take it this hard. She took a deep breath and hoped she wasn't overstepping her boundaries before questioning in a soft tone.

"You care for her, don't you?" Her words came out barely above a whisper, but they were enough to cause Tony's head to snap up.

He looked at Jenny with wide eyes and stuttered, "Wha—I, uh… What do you mean?"

Jenny noted the deep blush on Tony's face, _I'll take that as a yes._

Seeing his reaction, however, told Jenny that Tony wasn't ready to talk about it yet. She forced a smile onto her face and tried to do damage control, "You… aren't just using Ziva to get better grades are you? You actually are her friend?"

Tony breathed out a sigh of relief as he realized that he'd misunderstood Jenny.

"I'm not using her." Tony reassured Jenny with his famous grin.

Jenny nodded and smiled. "Good."

They sat in silence for about five minutes, until Gibbs came out and told Tony that he could see Ziva now.

Tony nodded and pushed himself up from the chair he was sitting in before slowly walking towards Ziva's room. He placed a hand on the door and took a deep breath before pushing it open and stepping inside.

"Hey." Ziva offered, refusing to meet Tony's eyes as she stared at the white bed sheets on top of her.

Tony took in her small form and noted how fragile she looked while wearing the hospital gown that was much to big for her. He smiled softly, realizing that it must be killing her to not be allowed to move around.

"How are you feeling?" Tony asked, not bothering to hide the concern in his voice as he sat down in the chair next to her bed.

Ziva still refused to meet Tony's eyes as she replied, "I am fine."

Tony smirked knowingly but didn't comment. He simply sat forward and watched her.

Ziva shifted uncomfortably as she felt his gaze upon her.

"What is it Tony?" She questioned and Tony took a breath to calm himself.

"You, uh… you kinda scared me there for a minute." When Ziva looked up at him in surprise he smiled meekly and shrugged, "I wasn't sure if you were…"

He swallowed the lump in his throat and finished, "I wasn't sure if you were going to make it."

Ziva chuckled softly, having no idea that the sound was like music to Tony's ears. "I fainted Tony, it happens, yes?"

"Yeah…" Tony agreed, then blushed when he realized how stupid he sounded. "I don't know… Whatever."

He flashed her a smile and Ziva smiled weakly in return.

"I…" This time it was Ziva's turn to stumble over her words, "I never got to thank you… for standing up for me."

Tony raised his eyebrows and grinned, "Really? _Ziva David_ is thanking _me?"_ He questioned in a mocking Tony and Ziva rolled her eyes.

"I was, but with that reaction do not expect it again."

Tony sobered immediately, "Seriously Ziva. It was no problem. Those guys were jerks and I'm sorry that I ever considered them my friends."

Ziva looked at Tony, surprised at the sincerity in his voice. Tony noticed this look and shrugged it off as nothing.

"Whatever. That's over now. I just wanted to ask you to forgive me… I've been a jerk to you to."

Ziva smirked and opened her mouth to make a snide remark, then seemed to change her mind and smiled. "You are forgiven Tony, thank you."

Tony nodded and they lapsed into an awkward silence. Ziva stared out the window and Tony stared at Ziva, awed at how different she seemed. It was almost scary how weak she looked. And even though the nurse said she'd be alright, Tony couldn't help but worry over how pale she was.

Ziva turned to find Tony staring at her, "Do not." She ordered and when Tony looked at her in confusion she finished, "Do not look at me that way—like I am weak."

Tony smirked slightly, "I wouldn't think about it Ziva."

Ziva glared at Tony, but didn't press the issue further.

"Tony?"

Tony and Ziva looked towards the doorway, where Jenny stood. She walked over to Tony and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry to do this to you. But visiting hours are over in five minutes, and I needed to talk to Ziva about something."

"Oh." Tony said, the disappointment evident in his voice. He quickly covered it up, however, and grinned. "Yeah that's fine. I should probably be going now anyways."

"Thank you." Jenny offered and Tony waved his hand.

"It's no problem." He stood up and looked at Ziva. He fought the urge to place a gentle kiss on her forehead and instead flashed her a smile. "Try not to be too hard on the hospital staff. It's not their fault you have to stay here."

Ziva glared at Tony, who chuckled softly to himself and left the room, feeling much better now that he'd seen for himself that Ziva was okay.

As soon as Tony left the room, Jenny took his place in the vacated chair. She leaned forward and sighed.

"Ziva…" She searched her mind for the best way to get her point across. "I… I had to tell Tony about the explosion."

Ziva's eyes widened and were immediately filled with fire. Jenny sighed and massaged her forehead.

"BUT, I didn't tell him about the… complications." Ziva visibly relaxed and Jenny sighed before continuing. "Ziva. You can't hide a thing like this from him. It's just not fair to either one of you."

Ziva opened her mouth to protest, but Jenny lifted her hand to stop her. "No. I don't want to hear it. I told Tony about the explosion then told him that if he had any more questions he had to ask you. Now I'm not forcing you to say anything, but I think that you know just as well as I do that keeping this from him isn't right."

After saying this, Jenny quickly left the room, leaving Ziva alone with her thoughts.

Ziva sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Jenny was right, and she hated it.

_Why? _Ziva questioned as a lone tear slid down her cheek. _Why is this happening to me?

* * *

_

**Okay… so this chapter was kind of angsty, but there were a lot of important things happening in it. **

**I'm not sure if you've figured out what it is that I've been hinting at all this time yet, but if you haven't you'll find out very soon. :) As you can guess, however, the explosion is very important. If you remember, I mentioned it in an earlier chapter through Ziva's dream, and that was my way of introducing it to the story. It is about to get **_**very**_** important in one of the upcoming chapters. (I haven't written them yet so I'm not sure exactly what one but soon.)**

**Anyways… I won't say anything else. Other than I hope you liked this chapter and please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

Title: A Walk To Remember

Chapter: 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of all other non-original characters from the show.**

Author's note: Aw… You guys are way too good to me. I love reading your reviews. They make me so happy, so thank you to everyone who submitted one! I am also very happy to know that you are all enjoying this story. I hope that I can continue to meet your expectations. :) Anyways… this was a nice and quick update, but is a shorter (yet important!) chapter. Thanks for reading and enjoy!

* * *

Ziva sighed in frustration as she stared impatiently at the door to her hospital room the next day. The doctor had 'requested' that she stay overnight so that they could monitor her, but not being allowed to get out of bed and move around was killing Ziva.

_What is taking them so long?_ She questioned, her impatience growing by the minute as she waited for Jenny and Gibbs to finish signing her out of the hospital. She glared at the door for a few more minutes, then sighed in relief when it opened. _Finally!_

Jenny walked in the door and smiled at Ziva's exasperated expression. Not bothering to offer an apology for the long wait, she simply handed Ziva a clean pair of clothes. "Your father and I will be waiting outside."

Ziva nodded and happily took the clean clothes; she was more than a little eager to get out of the gown the hospital had _forced _her to wear. "Thank you."

Jenny smiled and afforded Ziva some privacy by leaving the room and quietly closing the door behind her.

Ziva quickly got changed and threw the hospital gown on the bed, happy that she'd never have to see it again. She opened the door and quickly stepped into the hallway where Jenny and Gibbs were waiting for her.

Jenny smiled kindly at Ziva and Gibbs smirked, "You changed fast. Eager to leave, Ziver?"

Ziva glared playfully at her father before walking towards the elevator and mumbling under her breath, "I do not see why the hospital made me stay overnight. Nothing happened so I would have been fine at home. It is not like I am the first person to faint."

Jenny shared a secret smile with Gibbs as Ziva continued to grumble.

"Ziva." Gibbs spoke up and Ziva stopped her rant to look at her father. Gibbs simply smirked and nodded towards the waiting elevator, "If you hate this place so much, why don't we leave?"

Ziva rolled her eyes but stepped into the elevator. Gibbs and Jenny followed her in before Gibbs reached over and selected the ground floor. The three rode in silence until the shaft came to a stop and its' doors opened.

Gibbs, Jenny and Ziva all stepped out and made their way over to the family car. When they approached the Charger, Gibbs immediately went to the drivers' side, but Jenny placed her hand on his as he reached for the door.

One look at his wife told Gibbs about her intentions. He sighed in exasperation but, much to Jenny's surprise, gave in without a fight and handed her the keys which Jenny happily took before getting in the drivers' seat and starting the engine. She waited until Gibbs and Ziva were buckled in before pulling out of the hospital parking lot and heading towards their house.

Five minutes later, Jenny pulled the car to a stop in their driveway. She got out and went to the front door which she then unlocked.

After Ziva and Gibbs followed her inside, Jenny closed the door behind them and turned to face her family. After one look at Gibbs, he nodded and quietly left the room, leaving Jenny and Ziva alone.

"Ziva," Jenny began softly and Ziva's shoulders slumped forward slightly—she knew what was coming next.

Wordlessly, the young Israeli walked over to the couch and sat down, then looked at her mother expectantly, waiting for her to do the same.

Jenny obliged and took the seat next to Ziva before placing a comforting hand on her daughter's thigh.

"Did the doctor explain everything to you?" Jenny questioned and Ziva nodded her head meekly.

"Then…" Jenny paused and searched for the right words, "You un—"

"Mom." Ziva cut Jenny off, then tried to ignore the pang of guilt upon seeing a hurt look cross her mother's face. She took a deep breath before turning her body so she was facing Jenny, not just sitting next to her.

"We've been over this before. I… I'm sorry, but could we please just leave it alone now. Maybe… try and forget about for a while?"

Jenny closed her eyes, "I know this is difficult Ziva, but ignoring the problem won't make it go away."

Her mother's words were spoken softly and out of love, but the truth behind them stung. Ziva closed her eyes and forced her voice to stay level. "I know that Mom, I just—" Ziva's voice cracked slightly and she mentally cursed herself for showing such weakness. After taking a calming breath, she tried again, "I know Mom, but worrying over it won't get rid of the problem either. At least pretending that nothing is wrong allows me to live some-what normally."

Jenny sighed, she didn't want to do this, but she had to. "It's not fair." Ziva looked up at her questioningly and Jenny blinked back tears before finishing, "I won't tell you what to do, but I think that you know just as well as I do that it's not fair to keep Tony in dark on something like this."

When Ziva didn't respond Jenny sighed, "Like I said, it's totally up to you on what you decide to tell him… but ask yourself honestly, if the tables were turned, wouldn't you want _him_ to tell _you?_"

With that, Jenny pushed herself up off the couch and quietly walked away, leaving Ziva alone with her thoughts.

Ziva ran both hands through her hair, a habit she had picked up from Tony, and sighed. She knew that Jenny was right. It wasn't fair to keep Tony in the dark. Yet…

Telling him now would ruin everything. Although Ziva knew that Tony didn't return her… feelings, they were friends and she didn't want to wreck that.

Sighing, Ziva pushed herself up off the coach and put making the decision off for at least another day. She'd have to decide sometime… but not now.

Standing up, Ziva was overwhelmed by the need to take a shower and wash away her hospital stay. After racing up the stairs, Ziva headed towards the bathroom and quickly discarded of her clothes before stepping into the shower.

She sighed in content and let the falling water wash away all of her worries.

Thirty minutes later, Ziva turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. She grabbed a towel off the rack and dried herself off before quickly getting dressed.

Looking in the mirror, she smiled, it felt good to be back home—even if she was only gone for one day.

After taking her hairdryer out of the drawer, Ziva dried her hair and brushed it neatly before leaving the bathroom. She started walking towards her bedroom, then changed directions and headed towards the kitchen. Hospital food wasn't the best quality, and she was starving.

Just as she was walking down the stairs, the doorbell rang.

"I GOT IT!" She called out, before opening the front door and revealing a nervous-looking Tony.

"Tony?" She questioned in surprise.

"Hey." Tony offered before shifting his weight uncomfortably, "I was just wondering how you were doing… back at home."

Ziva smiled and stepped back to allow Tony entrance, "Do you want to come inside?"

"Uh…" Tony ran a hand through his hair an gently shook his head. "I, uh. I can't stay for long, but I was wondering if I could talk to you for a moment… privately?"

"Oh." Ziva nodded, "Yeah that's fine."

Doing her best to conceal her confusion, Ziva stepped outside and pulled the door closed behind her.

After noting the look on Tony's face, Ziva felt dread wash over her as she wondered if he knew. "Is everything okay?" She questioned, her heart hammering in her chest as she did so.

Tony nodded slowly and refused to make eye-contact, something Ziva didn't take as a good sign.

"I…" Tony finally looked up and met Ziva's eyes, "I was wondering if you… wanted to go out with me this Saturday?"

Ziva's eyes widened in shock and when Tony didn't get a reply he blushed and looked at his feet, "Never mind. I mean, it's fine. I was just—"

"Tony." Tony stopped talking and forced himself to meet Ziva's eyes, "I'd love to."

* * *

**Aw… I had to end it there. It was just so sweet that I didn't want to ruin it by going too far. Next chapter? The date!**

**Unfortunately, these happy times may not last forever…**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

Title: A Walk To Remember

Chapter: 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of all other non-original characters from the show.**

Author's note: Okay…. So this chapter is the long-awaited date! I, again, want to thank everyone for their reviews. Thy really are wonderful and they seriously inspire me to write more when I know someone is enjoying my work. :) I won't say anything else, other than thanks and enjoy!

* * *

Ziva smiled to herself as the doorbell rang. She took one last look in the mirror, checking to make sure that everything was perfect before leaving her room and slowly descending the stairs. Jenny was pretending to be busy in the kitchen, but Ziva knew that she was simply hanging until Tony arrived.

Ziva stopped in front of the door and took a deep breath before pulling it open. Tony was standing before her, dressed in a light blue dress shirt and black pants. His eyes grew wide as he saw Ziva.

Her curly hair cascaded down her back, a mute testimony to her natural beauty.

"You look…" Tony's mind was scrambling for words as he took in Ziva's deep blue dress, which ended at her knees. "Amazing."

Ziva smiled widely, "Thank you."

Tony returned her smile before motioning to his car. "After you."

Ziva flashed Tony another smile, causing his heart to skip a beat before they started walking towards his car. Once inside, Tony started the engine and began driving, stopping only a few minutes later in front of a restaurant.

Ziva's eyes widened as she looked around, "Alexandria's? Tony this place is very expensive!"

Tony merely grinned and got out of the car, "That's for me to worry about. All you have to do is have a good time."

Walking up to the maître d', Tony asked about their reservations and the dark-haired man nodded.

"Right this way." He led Tony and Ziva to a table outside on the patio, and gave them their menus before leaving silently.

Ziva was looking around, awed by the place's beauty. The only light was given by candles, which were placed at every table. They had a view of the lake and gentle music was playing softly in the background. Once she finished looking at her surroundings, Ziva directed her gaze towards Tony, whose eyes were trained on her.

He flashed her a smile, "Like the place?"

Ziva smiled and nodded, "It is very beautiful."

"Best view I've ever had." Tony agreed, and Ziva blushed when she realized he was talking about her.

"You don't look too bad yourself, Tony."

Tony grinned, "Thank you. Have you figured out what you're going to order yet?"

Ziva looked at her menu and bit her lip as she debated, "I don't know… what do you think?"

Tony thought for a moment, "Try the lobster, it's delicious."

Ziva grinned, "Don't you say that about all food?"

Tony rolled his eyes in mock annoyance, but the smile never left his face. "That may be true, _Miss Da-veed_, but the lobster here really is great."

"I have to agree." The waiter spoke up, alerting them of his presence. "Have you decided on what you will be eating tonight?"

Tony looked at Ziva, who nodded her head. "Yes…" She flashed Tony a smile before returning her attention to the waiter, "I'll have the lobster, please."

"No problem, mademoiselle." The waiter turned to Tony, "And you sir?"

"I'll have the same." The waiter nodded and jotted down their order before leaving the couple alone again. Tony smiled and took Ziva's hand in his own. "Are you having a good time?"

Ziva smiled softly, "Yes."

"Good." Tony grinned, he opened his mouth to say something but the waiter returned with their food before he could.

"Thanks." Tony offered before turning his attention towards Ziva. He watched as she took a bite of her lobster and sighed in content.

"This _is_ delicious."

Tony grinned, "Would I lie to you?"

Ziva smirked playfully, "Maybe."

Tony rolled his eyes, but the smile on his face grew. He and Ziva sat in a comfortable silence as they finished their food. When Tony realized Ziva was done he smiled at her, "Did you want dessert?"

Ziva smirked playfully and raised her eyebrows, causing Tony to blush and stutter. "I didn't, I uh... I didn't mean it like that. What I meant was… would you like some cake?"

Ziva smiled at Tony's bright red face but decided not to embarrass him any more. "No thank you Tony, the lobster was wonderful."

Tony grinned, "I'm glad you liked it."

His eyes caught Ziva's and for a moment they simply stared at one another. Tony was amazed at how easy it was to get lost in Ziva's chocolate brown eyes, meanwhile Ziva was thinking the same about his green ones.

"Ahem." They both looked up to see the waiter biting back a smile, "Will you be having dessert?"

Tony and Ziva blushed at being caught in their 'moment' but Ziva was the first to recover. "None for me, thank you."

The blonde waiter nodded and turned towards Tony, "And you sir?"

"Not for me either, thanks."

The man nodded and disappeared, only to return with the check a few moments later. Tony thanked him and left a generous tip, partly to impress Ziva who smirked as he laid down the money.

"That was a large tip." She offered and Tony bit back a grin, _she noticed._

"Great service."

Ziva smirked at him, "Really? Because for a moment there I thought you might have been leaving a big tip to impress someone."

Tony felt the blood rush to his face and decided to change the subject, "Did you want to go for a walk?"

Ziva's smile grew as she realized she was right about the tip, but didn't dwell on the topic any longer. "That would be nice."

Tony flashed her a grin and Ziva couldn't help but return it. She allowed Tony to lead her down the beach and he waited until they were ankle-deep in water before taking her hand in his.

Ziva smiled as their finger intertwined. Looking up at Tony, she smiled even wider when his gaze met hers.

"You have beautiful eyes." Tony stated, then blushed a deep red when he realized he said that out loud.

Ziva's smile simply grew, taking Tony's breath away. The couple walked for a few minutes in comfortable silence before Tony couldn't take it anymore.

He stopped walking and turned to Ziva, who was looking at him curiously.

"You really are beautiful." He admitted, a slow smile crossing his face as he added, "Both inside and out."

Ziva's cheeks grew pink and Tony grinned, happy that he had that effect on her.

His eyes met hers and they both began to lean in slowly, unable to resist the magnetic pull the other had on them.

Tony placed one hand on the small of Ziva's back and the other on the back of her head, running his fingers through her soft hair as he pulled her closer to him. Ziva wrapped her arms around his neck and played with his collar, moaning when softly when Tony deepened the kiss.

Both teens were amazed at how right the kiss felt, and Tony ended it reluctantly when he needed air. He gently placed his forehead on hers and smiled softly as they regained their breath.

Staring into the dark brown depths of Ziva's eyes, Tony found himself unable to keep the words in any longer.

He brushed a stray strand of hair behind Ziva's ear and gently ran a finger down her jaw line. His voice was nothing but sincere as he admitted, "I love you."

The moment the words left his mouth, Tony regretted them. Ziva's eyes widened and it was easy to see the conflict happening behind them. Tony fought the urge to run his hands through his hair as he waited for her to reply.

_I ruined it._ _It's too soon, she's not ready._

Ziva still hadn't said a word and Tony was beginning to panic as he realized that he just may have ruined the best thing that had ever happened to him. The realization that Ziva didn't love him back was enough to bring tears to his eyes.

Ziva stared at Tony in regret, the three words he had just spoken would change both their lives forever. She felt her heart break as tears filled Tony's eyes, yet she was unable to resolve the conflict within her.

On one hand, she had never been happier than at this moment. Hearing Tony say that he loved her was more than she could ask for and of course she loved him in return, but would he still love her after finding out her secret?

"Ziva," Tony whispered, not bothering to hide the pain in his voice, "please say something. I need to know."

Ziva closed her eyes as she realized that Tony was right. He did need to know, not only about her feelings, but also about what she'd been hiding from him.

"Tony…" Ziva's words were barely above a whisper, but the next ones to leave her mouth were enough to break her heart. "I'm dying."

* * *

**Wow. That was really sad. I knew this was coming, but it still is extremely sad. Man this news is going to break Tony's heart. I'll explain how she's dying in the next chapter. **

**(Only those who have seen the movie or read the book should read the rest of this note.) You guys knew that this was coming and a lot of you have asked me to save Ziva, but I really don't know yet. On one hand, I don't want Ziva to die. On the other hand, this is based on the movie and I don't want to cheapen the story by having her live. Basically, I would love to hear what you guys think, but in the end I have to think about it and will decide what I think is best for the story. :)**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

Title: A Walk To Remember

Chapter: 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of all other non-original characters from the show.**

Author's note: :D Thank you all SO much for your reviews! I loved them sooooo much and your feedback for Ziva's fate was unbelievable.

There were great arguments for both sides, but eventually I had to choose. You know me though, I will keep you guessing until the last possible moment. :p I know, I'm so mean, but it keeps the story interesting to keep you guessing.

So... This is a short chapter, but I was gone all day and didn't have time to write, but I still wanted to update today. (I couldn't keep you waiting too long after an ending like yesterdays.) :P

Also... it might be a little out of character, but to me that only made sense. (Seeing as Ziva's dying and Tony just admitted he loves her, I don't think they'll be acting like every other day.) Anyways... enjoy!

* * *

"_Tony…" Ziva's words were barely above a whisper, but the next ones to leave her mouth were enough to break her heart. "I'm dying."_

Tony stared at Ziva with wide eyes. He shook his head in disbelief, "No."

"Ton—" Ziva started but Tony cut her off.

"NO!" He ran both hands through his hair and began pacing, "You're not dying. You _can't_ die. You're too young, you can't—"

Tony swallowed the lump in his throat and continued, "You can't leave me. I _can't_ loose you. I," He blinked back tears, "I love you."

Ziva felt her heart break even more. She reached out for Tony but he shrugged away from her touch.

"No." Shaking his head, Tony looked away from her and fought back tears. They simply stood there for a few minutes. Ziva's heart breaking, and Tony too deep in denial to notice.

He continued to pace the beach and shook his head. "This isn't happening. It can't be happening…"

"It is." Ziva finally spoke up and Tony turned to face her, finally remembering her presence. Seeing her stand there, tears running down her face forced him out of denial.

Tony closed his eyes in pain, knowing that if the world was silent enough, they'd hear his heart breaking.

When he finally opened his eyes again, Ziva was gone. Tony turned around quickly, scanning the area for her and his heart dropped when he saw her.

About a hundred feet away, Ziva was walking slowly with her head down. Even from this distance Tony could tell she was crying. He swore at himself for only focusing on _his_ pain before chasing after her.

"Ziva!" He called out, but she only increased her pace. Tony finally caught up to her and grabbed her arm in a gentle yet firm grip. When Ziva refused to look at him, Tony stepped in front of her and used one hand to tip her face towards his.

Reluctantly, Ziva met Tony's gaze, regretting it the moment she did so. Never before had she seen so much pain in someone's eyes. And to know that she was the source of that pain, especially to someone she loved so much… it was unbearable.

"I'm sorry." She managed to whisper before Tony gently pulled her into a hug. Ziva didn't even think twice about burying her face in his neck and letting her tears fall. They stayed like that for a few minutes until Tony gently began to pull away.

It was then that Ziva noticed he had been crying too. His eyes were swollen from the tears that had left trails on his cheeks. Still, Tony ignored his pain and focused solely on hers.

He gently wiped her remaining tears away with his thumbs and took her face in his hands. Ziva closed her eyes as her heart tore just a little more. When she opened them again, she saw Tony staring at her, a mixture of emotions in his eyes.

Ziva sighed before pulling out of his embrace. She tried to ignore the hurt look on Tony's face and looked down at her feet. "I'm sorry."

Tony shook his head slowly, "This isn't your fault. There's nothing you can do about this."

Ziva looked up and met Tony's eyes in surprise. She had truly expected him to hate her and leave forever.

"I should have told you sooner." She insisted, but Tony still didn't get mad.

He simply took her face in his hands and asked quietly, "Why didn't you?"

"I…" Ziva looked back at her feet, but Tony placed his hand under her chin, forcing her to look at him. "I thought that you'd leave. I… I thought that you would hate me and never want to see me again."

"Ziva…" Tony's voice was just above a whisper but Ziva could hear the care in it, "I could never hate you."

Ziva nodded slowly. "I am sorry. I should have thought better of you—"

"Ziva." Tony said sternly and Ziva looked up at him in surprise. Tony continued to stare into her eyes as he continued, "This is not your fault. Stop apologizing."

Ziva nodded meekly and Tony smiled softly, "Good. Now… you don't have to tell me if it's too painful. But I would really like to know what's going on."

Ziva sighed before meeting his gaze, "I know my mom told you about the explosion." She stated and Tony smiled nervously.

"Oh. Look Zee, I'm sorry. I just… I was curious but I didn't want to bring up any bad memories so—"

"Tony." Ziva demanded quietly and Tony stopped talking. "It is fine. I am not upset about that. It's just… there is more to that story than my mother told you."

Ziva's eyes took on a far-away look as she recounted the story. "Back in Israel, my mother, father, brother, sister and I were on our way to the market when there was an explosion. With my father being the deputy director of Mossad, our family was always in danger. Eventually, a Hamas terrorist was able to plant bomb in our car and when it was detonated my whole family was killed. I was the only survivor, but even I did not come out unharmed."

Ziva closed her eyes as she remembered the painful memory, "I almost died, but the doctors were able to save me… or at least prolong my life. It was only after Mom and Dad adopted me and I was living in America that I learned that I was dying. I had gone in for a check-up with the doctor, and he discovered that the explosion had done significant damage to my heart. Why the doctors back in Israel did not notice this I do not know, but the American doctor informed me that I was dying from dilated, or congestive, cardiomyopathy."

Ziva paused a moment before continuing, "Basically, my heart was damaged in the explosion and it is now failing to work as well as it used to. Eventually, it will stop working altogether."

She looked up to see tears in Tony's eyes. The jock forced a smile and stepped towards Ziva, a small light of hope in his eyes, "So they know about the disease. That means that you can take medication, right? They can treat it?"

Ziva shook her head slowly, and Tony's shoulders slumped under the weight of an invisible burden.

"I am afraid not," Ziva replied, her heart breaking at the defeated look on Tony's face, "There is only one treatment… a heart transplant. Unfortunately, not very many people donate their hearts, and the doctors do not believe that one will become available before I… pass."

One look at Tony's face spoke volumes, there was no word to describe him other than crushed.

Ziva sighed and took one step towards him, "I am sorry Tony, I did not plan on this." Tony nodded slowly, his eyes only becoming more and more pained as he was forced to face the reality. Finally, he raised his head and met Ziva's eyes.

"Do you love me?" Ziva blinked in surprise. That was the last thing she had expected him to ask. Still, Tony's eyes searched hers and Ziva knew that there was no hiding the truth.

She nodded slowly, "Yes."

Despite all the sorrow that filled Tony's heart, Ziva's words brought a sparkle back to his eyes.

A small, yet truly happy smile crossed his face before he pulled her into another a kiss. When they broke apart, Tony reassured Ziva with a small smile, "Then we'll get through this together."

* * *

**Like I said before, I know this chapter is short but I was gone all day, and I also really liked this ending. **

**Those of you who want Ziva to live are probably **_**very**_** happy that there's a chance she can survive... if someone donates a heart. The question is, since so few people donate hearts, will she get one or not? He he he... I know it's cruel to keep you guessing but I'm doing just that. I've decided what is going to happen, but considering how much I love twists, this may not turn out the way you're thinking... lol. **

**Basically, keep reading the story to find out! :p Thanks for reading and please review!**


	12. Chapter 12

Title: A Walk To Remember

Chapter: 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of all other non-original characters from the show.**

Author's note:YAY! I _love _reviews and you guys have given me SO many that I am sooo incredibly happy that I gave you a little something in this chapter that you might like. :p Okay, so you'll definitely like it, but I won't say anything else.

Unfortunately, I was basically told to read 9 chapters of a book for tomorrow and that, along with 3 projects and two LONG math assignments (does this homework load seem ridiculous to you too?) forced me to make this chapter very short. I'm sorry, you've been getting a lot of short ones lately, and there will probably be a few more coming, but I am at least updating every day. :)

I'll try to write longer chapters when I have time, but I figure a short chapter a day is better than a long chapter in like, two weeks when school is FINALLY over! Lol, anyways… that's enough of my rambling. Enjoy!

* * *

Tony groaned as rolled over in bed. Glancing at the clock, he sighed, _6:00 AM._

After staring at the ceiling for about ten minutes, Tony realized that he wasn't going to be able to fall asleep again. Considering the current time and how late he usually slept in on Saturdays, this was more than a bit of a surprise.

Still, Tony knew the reason all too well why he wouldn't sleep again for a while. Nightmares.

Ever since Ziva had told him about her fate two weeks ago, Tony had been haunted by the same dream. In this dream, Ziva's heart failed and he watched helplessly as life slowly left her.

Tony sighed in frustration before rolling out of bed. He quickly dressed into a pair jeans and pulled a green t-shirt over his head before leaving his room and quietly closing the door behind him.

As he crept down the stairs, Tony's thoughts flew around him. Even though he realized that he was only dreaming, the nightmare still worried him. Worse yet, knowing that this dream would one day become a reality terrified Tony more than anything else. It also, however, reminded him of the one thing he knew all too well, _There's not much time left…_

Tony grabbed his wallet from the kitchen counter and quietly left the house, careful not to wake his parents.

He sighed as he got in his car and started the engine.

Five minutes later, Tony pulled the car to a stop in front of Ziva's house. He shut off the ignition and took a deep breath as he prepared himself for what he was about to do next.

Although there was no doubt in his mind that he was doing the right thing, Tony couldn't help but feel nervous.

Still, ever since Ziva told him about her fate, Tony knew what he had to do.

He closed his eyes and took a moment to collect himself, then opened his car door and stepped outside. He walked straight up to Ziva's front door and didn't hesitate to knock.

As soon as he did so, however, Tony's eyes widened at the realization of what he'd just done. Still, he could hear footsteps approaching and knew one thing for sure, _there's no going back now…_

"Tony?" Jenny questioned and the jock nodded meekly, his eyes trained on his feet.

"What—" Jenny looked at her watch, "Why are you up so early?"

Tony shifted his weight nervously before meeting Jenny's gaze with a sheepish grin, "I… I'm sorry. But I knew that your family wakes up early and I, uh. I _really _need to talk to you."

"Okay, but…" Jenny paused and looked at her watch again, "Ziva's not here… she's out running but you can wait inside if you want"

"Actually," Tony dropped his gaze again and Jenny wondered what it was that had him acting so oddly, "I knew Ziva would be out running. I was sort of wondering if I could talk with just you and Gibbs."

"Oh." Jenny raised her eyebrows in surprise, but stepped to the side and allowed Tony entrance, "Of course, come in."

"Thanks." Tony offered and Jenny nodded.

"Why don't you take a seat in the living room, I'll get Jethro and we'll be there in a minute."

Tony nodded and entered the living room. He sat down in a chair so Gibbs and Jenny could sit together on the couch, then waited nervously for them to join him.

When Jenny and Gibbs walked in only a few seconds later, Tony refused to meet their questioning gazes.

After the married couple sat down on the couch, Tony took a deep breath and finally looked them in the eyes.

"I…" He searched for the right words, knowing that he only had one chance to convince them. "It's been two weeks since Ziva told me about her… condition."

Gibbs and Jenny exchanged a look, but Tony didn't need to bother questioning why. Even after two weeks, he couldn't bring himself to say the words. He couldn't bear to actually voice the fact that Ziva was dying.

"Tony," Jenny began soothingly as she reached out and placed a comforting hand on Tony's knee. "I know that this is difficult."

"Yeah," Tony agreed, "It is. But it's harder on Ziva than it is on me. This whole situation though, it's made me realize what's really important. I'll admit that before Ziva I was nothing but a jerk. But after I started spending time with her… something happened. I changed, but for the better. To be perfectly honest, _Ziva _is the reason for that change. She…" Tony searched for the perfect words, but seemed unable to find them. Instead, he opened his mouth and simply spoke from his heart. "She made me want to be better and it's because of her that I am. Now, I don't even care about my reputation anymore, the only thing that matters is Ziva."

Tony took a deep breath before continuing, "I love her, after she told me that…" Tony closed his eyes and swallowed the lump in his throat, "After she told me that she was dying, I debated whether or not to give her my heart."

Jenny's eyes widened but she kept her voice in a comforting tone as she replied, "Tony, I'm sorry but that's not possible. They will only take your heart if you're dead."

Tony averted his eyes and remained silent, a wordless testimony of his plans.

Jenny's eyes widened as she realized what he'd been planning, she was about to protest when Tony began talking.

"For a long time… I wondered if giving her my heart would be the right thing to do or not, and if it was I was more than willing to give it up…" Tony paused and studied his hands before continuing, "But I realized that Ziva never wouldn't want that. When I told her I loved her, she said she loved me too."

A small smile made it's way to Tony's face, but it quickly disappeared and a devastated look came into his eyes, "It was a hard decision to make, but I knew Ziva would never forgive me if I did… what I was thinking about doing to myself. After that option was gone, I knew I had to face the fact that," Tony blinked back tears as he finished, "That she's actually going to die."

Jenny reached over and placed a comforting hand on Tony's knee and even Gibbs' expression softened at the obvious pain in the younger man's eyes.

Tony swallowed the lump in his throat and raised his head so he could look at Jenny and Gibbs as he finished what he was trying to say, "I know that we don't have much time left together and that she could… leave… anytime now, but I also realized that I want to spend as much time as we have left together with her by my side. I love her, and I guess what I'm trying to say is… May I marry your daughter?"

* * *

**YAY! I loved that ending. :) **

**A lot of people mentioned how I was NOT allowed to kill Tony and give Ziva his heart (lol) and although that thought had crossed my mind (I know, I'm sorry for even thinking about it) I knew that it would NEVER happen in real life, so it wouldn't be realistic at all and also, there's no way I could kill Tony like that. **

**Ziva, however, I am not making any promises on until you read the rest of the story. (I know it's so mean to keep you waiting, but at least we have the _possibility_ of a TIVA wedding to make the wait more bearable.) **

**Hope you liked it and thanks for reading. Please review! **


	13. Chapter 13

Title: A Walk To Remember

Chapter: 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of all other non-original characters from the show.**

Author's note: I felt as if this story didn't have enough Gibbs. Whenever parents were mentioned it was Jenny. And when Gibbs was mentioned it was only for two seconds. So… This chapter focuses mainly on his emotions. I won't say much more, except thanks for your reviews (please keep them coming, I love those things) and enjoy!

* * *

_Tony swallowed the lump in his throat and raised his head so he could look at Jenny and Gibbs as he finished what he was trying to say, "I know that we don't have much time left together and that she could… leave… anytime now, but I also realized that I want to spend as much time as we have left together with her by my side. I love her, and I guess what I'm trying to say is… May I marry your daughter?"

* * *

_

A happy smile crossed Jenny's face and her eyes lit up in excitement for the young couple.

Gibbs, however was not so pleased with Tony's plans for his daughter. As soon as Tony asked for permission to marry Ziva, only one word came to Gibbs' mind. _No._

It seemed like only yesterday that Ziva came to live with him and Jenny and although Gibbs knew that it had been almost two years, that wasn't enough time. Ziva wasn't his biological daughter, but he couldn't love her any more if she was.

Whether they shared the same genes or not was never an issue for Gibbs. Ziva was family, and that was it. She _was_ his daughter, and no DNA test or birth certificate could ever change that. Just because Ziva didn't share half of his DNA didn't mean that she wasn't his daughter... because she was.

Of course you can Tony!" Jenny practically squealed and Gibbs gritted his teeth together. As much as he loved his wife, she wasn't the only one who had say in this matter. He had to talk to Tony. Alone.

"Jen." Gibbs spoke, and the tone of his voice caused Tony and Jenny to give him all their attention. "Tony and I need to talk."

Jen noted the expression on her husbands' face--it was the face he used during interrogation. "Jethro, I—"

"No." Gibbs cut Jenny off, already knowing what she was going to say. "Tony and me. Alone. Now."

Jenny opened her mouth to protest, but closed it when Gibbs focused an icy stare on her. The room grew silent as the two matched glares. Jenny's gaze was full of defiance while Gibbs' left no room for discussion. He _was_ going to talk to Tony alone.

Jenny sighed and finally broke eye contact, unable to match Gibbs' piercing gaze. After twenty years of marriage to the man, she knew that look all too well and although Jenny was stubborn herself, she knew that there was no stopping him once he got that look in his eyes.

Jen let out a sigh before pushing herself up off the couch and leaving the room, placing a comforting hand on Tony's shoulder as she passed by.

Gibbs waited until Jenny was out of the room before turning towards Tony, a million thoughts flying through his head as he did so.

Gibbs really liked Tony. The young man had somehow managed to make his way into Gibbs' heart, yet Gibbs couldn't help but despise him a little for trying to take his little girl away.

Although Ziva wasn't so _little, _she was still his daughter and Gibbs would die before he let anything happen to her.

Even when he first met her in Israel while investigating her family's death, Gibbs knew there was something special about Ziva. After Jenny met her, she also fell in love with the girl, and since she had no living relatives, they decided to adopt her. It hadn't taken long for them to feel like a family.

Gibbs smiled as he remembered the first time Ziva called him 'Dad.' His smile disappeared, however, as another memory came to mind.

_Gibbs took a step backwards and dusted his hands off so he could admire his almost-finished boat. _

_He nodded approvingly, then turned around to grab his coffee from the workbench, which, much to his surprise, Ziva was leaning against._

_Gibbs smirked and slowly shook his head, she always was the one person able to sneak up on him…_

_He reached around Ziva and grabbed his coffee, then began leaning next to her, a casual tone in his voice as he asked, "So you gonna tell me what's bothering you?"_

_Ziva looked at her father in surprise but Gibbs simply smirked, "I know these things," He offered as an answer to her unasked question, "I know _all_ things."_

_Gibbs smiled when Ziva chuckled, and he couldn't help but join in. The smirk left his face, however, when Ziva stopped smiling and turned to face him, a serious expression on her face. _

"_I—" Ziva paused and searched for the right words. "Mom offered to tell you… but I told her that I wanted to do it myself."_

_Gibbs set his coffee down on the table and turned towards Ziva, showing her that she had his whole attention._

_Ziva blinked multiple times and Gibbs wondered what it was that had her so close to tears. He fought the urge to take her in his arms and comfort her, knowing that right now the best thing for his daughter was simply to get whatever was bothering her off her chest._

"_As you know, I had a doctors' appointment today…" Ziva trailed off and Gibbs felt dread wash over him. Something was wrong._

"_He told me that," Ziva took a deep breath and tried again, "He told me I am dying. My… my heart is failing. It was damaged in the explosion back in Israel and the doctor said that there's nothing they can do."_

_Gibbs closed his eyes as he fought the urge to double over. Ziva's words felt like a punch to the stomach-- except for the fact that even a punch to the stomach never hurt _this_ bad._

_When he opened his eyes again, he saw tears brimming Ziva's eyes. _

_Silently, Gibbs pulled his daughter into a comforting hug. The two simply stood there for a while, until Ziva pulled back slightly._

_She looked down before whispering her question, "Do you hate me?"_

_Gibbs sighed and shook his head slowly, "No Ziver. I could never hate you."_

_Ziva nodded slowly and raised her head. Gibbs saw the conflicting emotions in her eyes and sighed before stepping forward and embracing her in another hug._

"_I won't lie to you Ziver, this won't be easy. But I'm not going anywhere." Gibbs paused a moment before adding, "I'm here whenever you need me Ziver, and I promise to never let you go."_

"I'll never let you go." Gibbs whispered softly to himself, remembering the promise he made to his daughter.

"Gibbs?" Tony questioned, and the former marine suddenly remembered Tony's presence.

Gibbs swallowed the lump in his throat and focused his attention towards Tony, determined not to let the young man steal his daughter away.

"How long have you and Ziva known each other?"

"A month and a half." Tony answered immediately and Gibbs couldn't help but be surprised by how quickly the young man answered.

Still, there was no way Tony was going to take his daughter away from him. He'd promised Ziva to never let her go, and Gibbs was determined to keep that promise.

"Six weeks. Not a very long time considering what you're asking. You don't rush into marriage, Tony."

"I know." Tony answered, not missing a beat at all as he continued, "But I love her. That's all that matters."

Gibbs raised his eyebrows, "Is it?"

"Yes." Tony stated with confidence, this was one argument he wasn't backing down from. "I love her and she loves me. We're happy together."

Tony's last words struck a blow to Gibbs' heart. As unwilling as he was to let Ziva go, he wanted her to be happy, and no one could deny that Tony made her happy. Ever since Tony had asked Ziva out, she'd been smiling and laughing more. In fact, she'd almost fully returned to the person she was before learning of her fate.

Gibbs heart sunk at the realization that even though he hadn't—Ziva may have already let go.

"Gibbs, to put it quite simply, I love your daughter and I want to make her happy. I know that's what you want for her too. I also know that it's hard to let Ziva go," Tony stated, effectively reading Gibbs' mind, "But just because I love Ziva and she loves me, that doesn't mean she'll ever stop needing or loving you. You're her father, and no one can ever take your place."

Gibbs closed his eyes in order to process his thoughts better. When he opened them again, he met Tony's gaze.

"Welcome to the family."

* * *

**Okay, so like I said, I focused on Gibbs' emotions in this chapter. It was more of a filler, but I am extremely busy right now (we're getting really close to the end of the school year so the homework load is really heavy.) Basically, I wanted to update but didn't have time to write a real chapter, so this will have to do. **

**I hope you enjoyed it and please review!**


	14. Chapter 14

Title: A Walk To Remember

Chapter: 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of all other non-original characters from the show.**

Author's note: AH! Please don't hate me, I know it's been _forever_ since you got an update but I've been insanely busy! We were assigned one project for every class and were only given two days to finish all of them because the teachers are behind in the course and we need to catch up in the last week! So, sorry that it took me so long to update, but I had good reason.

Anyways... A lot of stuff happens in this chapter, and I didn't want to make it seem to rushed, but it was bugging me that I'd spent so much time focusing on the wedding that hadn't even happened yet and isn't the main part of the story. So... things may happen quickly in this chapter but I wanted to get back to the "Ziva's sick" issue (which, wait for it, I will deal with in the next chapter.)

Also, I know that it's kind of weird to be having Tony and Ziva get married in high school, since it would take a lot to get them to that altar while they're adults, but it happened in the movie, which I am still attempting to stick to the main points of. So I tried to make it as realistic as I could, and you'll see some of Tony's reasoning on why they shouldn't wait in the first "scene" of this chapter.

One last thing... I didn't want to have Tony and Ziva be too young, so they're graduating in the first part of this chapter, at least this way they're out of high school. :) Enjoy!

PS. I made this chapter longer because of the long wait.

* * *

Tony looked over at Ziva, who was sitting next to him in their school auditorium and smiled. He squeezed her hand gently, then let go and prepared himself to stand up.

"Anthony DiNozzo!" Leon Vance, the principal of Jefferson High called out and Tony proudly stood up and made his way to the stage where Vance was waiting with his diploma.

After standing next to the principal, Tony smiled and shook the man's hand. Much to his surprise, Leon smiled back.

"Never thought I'd say this, DiNozzzo…" Vance said for Tony's ears alone, "But good job and congratulations."

Tony raised his eyebrows at the man's gesture, but smiled and nodded his thanks before standing next to his classmates that were already standing on the stage. A few of them flashed Tony smiles, and he returned the favour.

Josh, who was standing beside Tony, flashed him a grin. Although their friendship had hit a rough spot when Tony punched him, Josh apologized only a few days later, and the two were now closer than ever. Not only that, but Josh was different too. Just like Tony, he had changed.

After learning that Ziva was dying, Josh felt like a complete jerk for abusing her the way he had. After apologizing to both her and Tony, he'd become a nicer guy.

"Ziva David." Tony couldn't help but smile as Ziva stood up and gracefully made her way onstage. She took her diploma from Vance, who nodded at her approvingly.

Ziva then joined Tony and her other classmates on the other side of the stage. She stood directly in front of Tony, who was smiling happily down at her. Although Ziva would roll his eyes if he ever said anything, he was proud of her.

Tony reached into his suit pocket and fingered the engagement ring he had bought her. He planned on proposing tonight.

Although his parents, after learning of his plans, told Tony that he was too young for marriage, he disagreed. Even though he never would've thought that he'd been getting married at this age, he found the woman that most people waited a lifetime to find, why should he wait?

Even after this argument, Tony's parents didn't give in, but after they realized he wasn't going to back down, they agreed to a compromise. Tony would propose to Ziva… but only after they'd graduated high school.

As much as it killed Tony to wait, he had agreed to do so if that meant that he and Ziva could get married. Now, a month and a half later, Tony was glad that he didn't have to wait any longer.

Tony was snapped out of his thoughts when music started, and he realized that the ceremony was almost over. The music grew louder and he joined his classmates in singing "Graduation" by Vitamin C.

When the song was over, the class slowly walked down the aisle and out of the auditorium in single file. As soon as they were out of the room, Tony took Ziva's hand in his own.

She smiled up at him and Tony towered over her with a smile on his face. He placed a gentle kiss on her lips before pulling away and smiling even wider.

"I have a special celebration planned."

"Oh? "Ziva asked with a raised eyebrow, "What does this 'celebration' include?"

Tony flashed her a mischievous grin, "It's a surprise."

~~~NCIS~~~

"Tony, will you just tell me where we are going already?" Ziva asked in exasperation as she stared out the car window.

Tony chuckled, "Relax Zee, I want it to be a surprise."

Ziva let out a sigh and sunk into her seat while crossing her arms in defiance. She glared at Tony when he chuckled, that was _not_ the reaction she was looking for. Still, when he flashed her the special smile he saved just for her, she couldn't help but smile back.

Tony pulled the car to a stop on the side of the road and Ziva looked at him questioningly, but when he got out of the car she followed.

Tony came up around her and placed a kiss on her mouth, which Ziva happily returned, before he whispered. "Do you trust me?"

Ziva looked at him suspiciously, "That depends…"

"On what?" Tony asked with a grin and Ziva smirked.

"On whatever it is that you want me to do."

Tony rolled his eyes but knew that she was right. "I'm going to cover your eyes and lead you to the surprise. I need you to trust me to get you there safely."

Ziva sighed, "Why can I not walk there _without_ you covering my eyes?" She looked down at the graduation dress she was wearing in disdain, "It is hard enough to move around in this thing as it is, and now you will not let me _see _either?"

Tony flashed Ziva a pleading look and she sighed in frustration, "Fine."

Tony smiled down at her and promised, "I'll make it up to you."

Ziva flashed Tony a playful glare, "You better."

Tony chuckled before stepping forward and covering Ziva's eyes with his hand. He used the other arm to guide her along a path. They walked this way for about a minute before Tony stopped and took his hand away.

Ziva opened her eyes and a smile crossed her face as she took in the beautiful sunset.

When she turned to look at Tony, she found him watching her with a smile.

"There's more." He announced and Ziva turned around and swept the area with her eyes as she looked for the rest of the surprise. Finally, her gaze rested on what she realized to be a blanket with a basket on it. Looking at Tony, she smiled.

"You made a picnic?" Tony nodded, but the gleam in his eye told her there was something more. She walked over to the basket and pulled out some of the food.

A soft smile crossed her face before she turned to Tony, holding the Israeli food in her hand. Tony smiled at her, "I cooked it myself. I wanted to do something special for you."

"Thank you." Were the only words that Ziva was able to get past her throat. She walked over to Tony and kissed him before pulling back and staring him in the eyes, "I love you Tony."

"I love you too Zee." Tony replied with a happy smile. He gently led her towards the blanket and they sat down.

After about half an hour of enjoying the food, sunset and each other's company later, Tony nervously reached into his pocket and pulled out the engagement ring.

He turned to Ziva with a serious look on his face.

"Ziva?" He asked and Ziva, after seeing the serious look on Tony's face, gave him her full attention.

"Before you, I was a jerk. I chased girls endlessly but never really cared for them, I constantly worried about my reputation and football was my life. I was horrible to anyone who was considered less popular than me. But… then I met you. And, well… you changed me. I no longer wanted to chase girls, I found myself _wanting_ that serious relationship I'd always avoided before, my reputation didn't matter and even football wasn't important anymore."

Tony's eyes met Ziva's as he continued, "I wasn't the jerk of a guy I was before anymore, and I didn't even _want_ to be that. You… You made me want to be better. You gave me a _reason_ to be better, and that reason was you. Soon enough, I realized that I was in love with you."

Ziva smiled and Tony couldn't help but return it. He leaned forward and tucked a stray hair behind her ear, "When I found out you were dying, I…" He swallowed the lump in his throat, "I didn't know what to do. All I knew was that I loved you, and that I'd do anything to take this burden away from you. I'd gladly take your place, but I know that's not possible."

"I also realized though," Tony's fingers were itching to pull out the small box in his pocket. "I realized that I don't have forever to spend with you, and the thought terrified me. But… knowing that our time together is limited forced me to realize how precious that time is. I don't care whether it's a day, a year or a lifetime, I want to spend it with you by my side. I love you Ziva."

Tony finally pulled out the engagement ring and got down on one knee, "Will you marry me?"

Ziva's mouth dropped open slightly in surprise, but after she got over her shock, she got down on her knees and pulled Tony into a kiss.

They broke apart smiling and Ziva blinked back tears as she answered, "Yes. I will."

Tony's smile grew wider and he kissed her one more time before gently placing the ring on her finger. As he slipped it on, his eyes met hers, love shining brightly in them.

"I love you Ziva."

~~~NCIS~~~

**Three weeks later…**

"Ziva?" Gibbs questioned as he softly knocked on the door to the women's bathroom inside the church Ziva and Tony were about to get married in. "The last bridesmaid is walking down the aisle right now, we have to be at the door in one minute."

At Gibbs' words, the door opened to revealing Ziva. Gibbs' eyes widened as he looked at his daughter. The white dress contrasted perfectly with her tanned skin and the smile on her face was absolutely breathtaking.

Ziva smiled wider at the look on her father's face, "We must go now, yes?"

"Yes." Gibbs answered and he wrapped his arm in hers before leading her to the door. They stopped just outside the sanctuary and he took one more look at her. "You look beautiful Ziva."

He paused a moment and a sad look came into his eyes as he added, "Tony will take good care of you."

Ziva nodded, knowing that it was true. Still, the sad look in her father's eyes tugged at her heart. She placed her hands on his shoulders and looked into his eyes as she said, "I know he will, but I'll never stop needing you."

At Ziva's words, Gibbs felt tears burning the back of his eyes. He quickly blinked them away and smiled, "And I'll never stop being here."

Ziva smiled, and the piano began to play "Here Comes The Bride." Ziva wrapped her arm in Gibbs' before they faced the sanctuary and stepped inside.

As soon as they saw Ziva, everyone stood and watched as Gibbs escorted her down the aisle.

Soon, they were standing at the front of the church and it was time for Gibbs to let go. He kissed Ziva on the cheek and whispered "I love you" in her ear before letting go and taking a step back.

Ziva blinked back tears as she whispered, "I love you too Dad."

Gibbs nodded and smiled at her before taking a seat next to Jenny in the front row. He watched as Ziva turned to Tony, who was smiling but watching her in concern. As soon as Ziva saw her fiancé, a smile crossed her face and, after assuring himself that Ziva was okay, Tony returned it. They turned to look at the Rabbi with smiles on their faces.

"Let us begin."

Ziva glanced over at Tony and was about to look back at the Rabbi when his eyes caught hers. They simply stared at each other in wonder until the Rabbi began addressing Tony.

"Do you, Anthony DiNozzo, take Ziva David to be your lawfully wedded wife for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health," The Rabbi paused for a moment to let his last words sink in, "to love and cherish until death do you part?"

Tony smiled happily at Ziva before answering, "I do."

The Rabbi nodded, then turned towards Ziva.

"And do you, Ziva David, take Anthony DiNozzo to be your lawfully wedded husband for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until death do you part?"

Ziva's heart was racing as she considered the Rabbi's question. _This is it…_

After turning to look at Tony, Ziva smiled and stared into his eyes, "I do."

A large smile broke out on Tony's face as the Rabbi finished.

"If anyone here has any reason as to why these two should not wed, speak now or forever hold your peace." When no one spoke up, the Rabbi smiled, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Tony smiled widely before covering Ziva's mouth with his own. Several people clapped while they kissed, and it was Ziva who ended up pulling back for air. Tony simply grinned at her, and he took her hand in his own.

The pianist began playing music and Tony walked Ziva down the aisle. He exited the church happily, knowing that this was the best moment of his life. He looked down at their intertwined fingers and smiled at the realization that he was now holding hands with Mrs. Ziva DiNozzo.

* * *

**So... How did I do? Like I said, I tried to make it as realistic as I could but it's a little difficult to do in this situation. Still, I thought that the idea was kind of sweet and it _was_ an important part in the movie. **

**Anyways... stay tuned for the next chapter, it's a VERY important one! :) I'm going to adress the fact that Ziva is sick, but I might not be "adressing" it in the way that you would think of. He he he... I know I'm evil but I love leaving you guys hanging with stuff like that. :P**

**Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it and please review!  
**


	15. Chapter 15

Title: A Walk To Remember

Chapter: 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of all other non-original characters from the show.**

Author's note:Okay… so this is a nice and long chapter. I felt bad that this story seemed to be having so many short chapters, but like I said before, I'm extremely busy with the end of school coming up and don't have a lot of time to write. Sorry, but I can't help it. Also, a lot happens in this chapter. And I mean A LOT. Anyways… Enjoy!

* * *

Tony smiled to himself as he unlocked the front door to the house that he and Ziva had moved into one week ago. He closed the door and began searching the house for Ziva, making sure to keep the bouquet of flowers hidden behind his back so he could surprise her.

"Ziva?!" Tony yelled out, trying to find her, but when no one answered he started to become worried.

He began looking through the house faster, and his heart rate increased at every empty room. Finally, he reached the living room door. Tony's gut was screaming that something was wrong so he didn't bother to wait but charged right in.

Although Tony knew that Ziva was getting weaker by the day and that she could pass away at any moment, nothing would be enough to prepare him for the sight that met his eyes.

"ZIVA!" Tony yelled, he threw the flowers to the ground and ran over to his wife, who was lying face-down on the couch, positioned as if she had fallen there.

"Ziva, oh no. Oh no, no, no, no, no." Tony knelt down by his wife's side and felt for a pulse, his heart dropped when he couldn't find one. "Ziva, no."

Tears were burning the back of Tony's eyes but he ignored them as he continued to search for Ziva's pulse. Still, he found nothing.

Tony's breath hitched in his chest as he realized what this meant. Still, he found himself unable to accept the reality. _She can't be gone..._

"She _can't_ be gone." He repeated to himself, then turned Ziva over so that she was face-up, he couldn't help but notice how pale she was.

Tony placed his hands on Ziva's chest, wanting nothing more than to feel it rise and fall as a sign that life was still in her. Nothing happened, and Tony allowed his tears to fall freely as he was no longer able to deny it, _she's gone..._

Tony stood up, defeated. Never in his eighteen years had life hurt so much as it did right now.

"Ziva." He whispered softly, his heart breaking as he watched he watched her still body. Tony backed up slowly, as if leaving would turn back time and bring the only woman he'd ever love back to him.

Finally, his back met the wall and Tony slid to the ground in defeat. He buried his head in his hands, _nothing will ever be the same._

**"ZIVA!"** Tony yelled as he sat straight up in bed. The first thing he became aware of was that he was in bed, next to his _living_ wife, and drenched in a cold sweat. The second thing he noticed was that his alarm clock was ringing loudly.

Tony let out a sigh in relief as he realized it had all been a dream.

"Tony." Ziva groaned as she rolled over so that she was now facing him, a disgusted look on her face as she mumbled, "Turn it off."

Tony simply smiled and wrapped Ziva in a hug, "I love you Zee."

Ziva smiled softly, "I love you too. Now turn it off."

Tony chuckled before doing as told. After the alarm stopped, he turned to Ziva with a huge smile on his face, he kissed her gently on the mouth, then pulled back and whispered, "I love you so much."

Ziva sighed and propped herself up on one elbow, "And I love you too Tony, but you had that dream again didn't you?"

Tony considered denying it but knew there was no use, Ziva always knew when he was lying.

"Yes." He admitted before looking down in shame.

Ziva sighed, "Tony."

Her tone demanded attention so Tony raised his eyes to meet hers. "We have been over this before. I am dying. I have accepted it and you need to too."

"I," Tony swallowed the lump in his throat and tried again, "I know Ziva, but I just can't stand to lose you."

"Tony..." Ziva sighed and closed her eyes as she searched for the right words, "No one lives forever. I am simply a little closer to death than most. Now please, stop focusing on what _will _happen and focus on what _is. _We do not have a lot of time left together and I do not want to waste it by worrying about what life will be like once I am gone."

Tony nodded solemnly but refused to look Ziva in the eyes, he knew that doing so would result with him in tears.

"I know." He sighed and ran his hands through his hair, "You're right, I'm sorry."

"Good." Ziva stated in a tone that told Tony the conversation was over, "Now I'm going to take a shower, why don't you relax. I'll make you breakfast when I get out."

Tony nodded, but he got out of bed as soon as she was out of sight. He went into the hallway, then turned into the living room, he only stopped walking when he was next to the couch.

Tony squatted down and placed his hand on the piece of furniture, thoughts flying around his head as he did so. _It seemed so real..._

Tony ran both hands through his hair and stood up. Ziva was right. He _needed _to stop dwelling on this. The important thing to remember is that his dream _wasn't_ true and Ziva was still with him.

Tony forced all thoughts about death and being left behind to the back of his mind. He heard Ziva turn the water off and knew she was getting out of the shower. He quickly went back into the bedroom and grabbed some clean clothes.

Just as he was turning around, Ziva walked out of the bathroom. She flashed Tony a smile that made his heart skip a beat, then came up to him and placed a quick kiss on his lips.

"You're in a good mood." Tony commented and Ziva smiled.

"Yes... and I think that I have been spending too much time with my father." When Tony flashed her a questioning look Ziva explained, "I have a gut feeling..."

She trailed off and Tony chuckled, "Yeah, I guess your Dad might be rubbing off on you, but that's okay." He paused a moment before adding, "Just make sure you don't start giving me head slaps."

Ziva chuckled and Tony couldn't help but smile. He really did love her laugh.

"So tell me Sweetcheeks," He casually snaked his arms around Ziva's middle and placed his head on her shoulder, "What is this 'gut feeling' about?"

Ziva smiled, "I don't know exactly... I just have a feeling that something big is going to happen." She paused and cocked her head to the side in thought before adding, "I think it will be good."

"Well," Tony let go of Ziva and grabbed his clothes, "I guess we'll just have to wait and see whether this 'gut feeling' comes true."

"Yes." Ziva nodded thoughtfully as Tony closed the bathroom door. "I guess we will."

~~~NCIS~~~

Fifteen minutes later, Tony walked out of the bathroom with a towel slung over his shoulder. He dabbed at his wet hair and smiled at Ziva who was sitting on the bed reading.

"Still with the books?" Tony teased and Ziva rolled her eyes.

"Whatever Tony." "

Wha--" Tony was cut off by the sound of the telephone ringing. Ziva, who was sitting next to it, answered.

"Ziva Da-- DiNozzo."

Tony put his towel away again, then headed towards the kitchen. He grabbed a bowl and filled it with some cereal, then poured himself a glass of orange juice and sat down at the table. He was just about to take his first bite when Ziva's voice stopped him.

He looked up to see her standing in the doorway. She seemed to be in a trance as she held lifted up the phone. "That was the hospital... they have a heart."

Tony's eyes widened and he dropped the spoon he was holding in surprise. As soon as the spoon hit the ground, Ziva's words registered in Tony's brain.

He jumped up from his chair and ran over to Ziva, lifting her into a hug with a smile on his face. Ziva was taken aback by Tony's behaviour, but wrapped her arms around him and returned the hug. Eventually, Tony placed Ziva down. He met her eyes and his smile grew wider, "I love you so much Ziva."

Ziva smiled, "I love you too Tony."

Tony's eyes were shining as he leaned forward and kissed Ziva. When they broke apart for air, Tony grabbed Ziva's hand and pulled her gently towards the door.

"Come on. You get in the car, I'll grab the keys and my phone, that way you can talk to your parents on the way there."

Ziva nodded and Tony dropped her hand so that she could leave. He quickly grabbed the keys from the kitchen counter and his cell phone from it's charger before racing out the door.

He got in the car and tossed Ziva the phone before buckling and pulling out of the driveway. He glanced over at Ziva when she finished dialling, then attempted to hear her conversation.

"Dad?" Ziva questioned, and Tony was just able to make out Gibbs' voice.

"_Yeah it's me. Why, something wrong?"_

"No." Ziva shook her head happily and a smile crossed her face as she told him, "The hospital called, they have a heart!"

The other end of the line went silent and at first Ziva wasn't sure whether or not her father had heard her.

"Dad, are you there? The hospital has a heart!"

Ziva's words seemed to bring her father back to reality and Tony strained to hear the older man's voice.

"_Yeah Ziva, I'm here. That's great news. Your mother and I will be at the hospital in a few minutes."_

"Okay Dad," Ziva agreed, "I love you."

"_Love you too Ziva. Bye."_

Gibbs hung up before Ziva could respond and she merely chuckled. "Some things never change."

Tony flashed Ziva a smile then pulled the car to a stop and turned to face her.

"We're here." He announced and Ziva smiled. She took a deep breath to calm herself before getting out of the car and heading towards the hospital elevator.

Tony followed her and smiled as the elevator doors closed. He watched her in silence as the metal shaft moved upwards, but the look on her face told Tony something was wrong.

"Everything okay?" He asked and Ziva forced a smile as she nodded.

"Everything is great Tony."

Tony sighed and turned to face Ziva, "Come on Zee. You may be a convincing liar but I can still tell when you aren't telling the truth…. Tell me what's wrong."

Ziva shook her head, "It is nothing."

"No." Tony replied as he turned her to face him, "Anything that has you this worried is not _nothing. _Now tell me what's bothering you."

Ziva sighed, "It is just… I am glad that they found a heart, but this type of surgery is dangerous, yes?"

"Oh." Tony replied and the elated expression on his face was immediately replaced with a solemn one. "Yeah… you're right Ziva."

Tony ran both hands through his hair and began pacing the elevator, _what if she survived her heart disease only to die in surgery?_

As soon as the thought came to Tony, he forced it to the back of his brain. _It isn't going to happen._ He told himself before coming to a stop in front of his wife.

He placed his hands reassuringly on her shoulders and looked into her eyes, "Nothing is going to happen Ziva. These doctors are trained to do this type of surgery. Now, you're going to come out of that room with a healthy heart and a big smile, okay?"

Ziva rolled her eyes but couldn't stop the smile from crossing her face, "Okay."

"Good." Tony planted a quick kiss on Ziva's lips before stepping back and waiting for the elevator to stop. When it did, he grabbed Ziva's hand in support then stepped out. Ziva followed him and he led her to the receptionists' desk.

"Ziva DiNozzo." He offered while smiling at Ziva, "With Dr. Hoadin?"

The receptionist nodded, "Of course, please follow me Mrs. DiNozzo."

"I can't come with her?" Tony asked, still holding on to Ziva's hand. The receptionist looked at him sympathetically but shook her head.

"I'm afraid not sir, we have to prep her for surgery. But I promise to keep you informed on her condition."

Tony looked at Ziva and sighed before letting go of her hand, "Okay…"

Ziva flashed Tony a small smile and gave him a peck on the cheek before running to catch up with the receptionist who was already halfway down the hall.

Tony sighed and ran both hands through his hair, then turned around to see Jenny and Gibbs stepping out of the elevator.

The couple spotted him and raced over, "Where is she?"

Tony smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry but you _just _missed her. They're prepping her for surgery."

Gibbs and Jenny nodded slowly but the disappointment on their faces was quickly replaced by smiles.

"I never stopped praying that this day would come." Jenny admitted and Gibbs wrapped an arm around her shoulders and smiled down at her.

"Neither did I."

~~~NCIS~~~

Five hours later, Tony was pacing in the waiting room. He turned to look at Gibbs and Jenny who were sitting calmly in their chairs.

"What's taking so long?!" He questioned and Gibbs shrugged.

"These things take time Tony. A heart transfer can take hours."

Tony let out another sigh in frustration as he resumed his pacing. About ten minutes later, a nurse with long black hair entered the waiting room.

"Family of Ziva DiNozzo?" She questioned and Tony was standing before her in less than a second.

"How is she?" He asked and Gibbs placed a hand on Tony's shoulder to control him.

The nurse took a deep breath. "My name is Sarah, I was asked to update you on Mrs. DiNozzo's situation. The doctor was able to finish the surgery about half an hour ago."

Tony, Gibbs and Jenny all let out sighs in relief. Smiles crossed their faces, but the nurse took a deep breath and continued.

"As you know, we had to put Mrs. DiNozzo under for the surgery. Unfortunately, it appears that she is having difficulty waking up…"

The nurse looked down at the heartbroken looks on the faces of the people before her.

"I'm sorry to inform you, but… Mrs. DiNozzo has fallen into a coma."

* * *

**I want to start off by saying that I TOLD YOU A LOT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN! Lol. **

**A lot of people were like, begging be to give Ziva a heart, so I did. However, I'm guessing you didn't think I'd be so cruel as to give her a heart and then possibly kill her anyways from the surgery. I guess that this just proves the saying of **_**be careful what you wish for…**_

**Lol, I know I'm completely evil. But I do need your help. I am an **_**extremely**_** indecisive person so I'm not sure about what is going to happen to Ziva anymore. I'm not sure whether to make her live or not. :S **

**I'm sure that you guys all have definite ideas on what I should do and I'd love to hear them. It would help me out A LOT if you would say whether or not she should live, and then give reasons why. As much as I love Ziva (not like Tony loves her though, lol) and don't want to kill her, some people that were **_**for**_** her death (I was surprised to see that there was quite a few of them) gave some really good reasoning as why she shouldn't make it. So… convince me. I really need help for deciding. :) **

**Thanks for reading and please review! I hope you liked the chapter and I know, I'm really mean for leaving you with **_**another**_** cliff hanger. Still, review (or PM me) and let me know about Ziva's fate. :) Thanks!**


	16. Chapter 16

Title: A Walk To Remember

Chapter: 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of all other non-original characters from the show.**

Author's note:Wow… First of all, I LOVED YOUR REVIEWS! They were amazing and I was SO happy while reading them.

I'm really sorry for the long update, but I had a REALLY long chapter (longest one yet) and my stupid computer deleted it! Anyone who has had this happen to them knows how ANNOYING it is! I was _not_ happy. It really sucked when I rewrote the chapter but it just didn't come out the same as the first time. :( Anyways… this along with my super-busy schedule made very difficult to update even this quick. Still, I felt bad for waiting so long so I gave you a longer chapter.

Sorry for rambling, lol, but I needed to get that out of my system. :)

Anyways, this is another packed chapter and the end will have you on the edge of your seats. :p Enjoy!

* * *

Tony blinked back tears as he stared at his wife. The rising and falling of her chest was the only sign that the woman before him still had life in her.

"Ziva." He whispered softly before placing his hand on the glass wall that was separating them.

As if it wasn't bad enough that Tony might be losing his wife, he wasn't even allowed to hold her hand and let her know he was there. The room she was in had to be kept sterile, meaning that only nurses and doctors were allowed inside.

Now, the only way that he could see his wife was by staring at her through the very glass wall that was separating them.

"Hold on Ziva," Tony begged his wife, not caring that she couldn't hear him, "Hold on for me."

Tony sighed, he'd been begging her to 'hold on' ever since she fell into the coma six hours ago and she still hadn't shown any sign of improvement. He wasn't a doctor, but even Tony knew that the longer a person stays in a coma, the less likely it is that they'll ever come out.

He felt someone place a hand on his shoulder, so he turned around to see the night nurse looking at him sympathetically.

"I'm sorry sir, but visiting hours are over."

"Can't," Tony looked back at Ziva, then wiped the tears from his eyes and looked back at the nurse. "Can't I stay just a while longer? What if she wakes up while I'm gone. I _need_ to be here when she wakes up."

The nurse shook her head slowly, "I'm sorry sir, but visiting hours are over. You've already been here a few minutes longer than allowed."

"But what if she wakes up while I'm gone?" Tony asked again, and the nurse refused to meet his eyes, the pain she saw there was just too much.

"I'm sorry sir. But, the doctor is fairly certain that she won't wake up for at least another 24 hours. You can come back first thing in the morning."

"That isn't soon enough." Tony persisted, but the nurse simply sighed.

"Tony!"

Tony looked up to see Gibbs walking towards him. The older man turned to the nurse, "I'll take care of this."

The nurse nodded and hurried away, leaving Tony and Gibbs behind.

"Come on Tony, let's go." Gibbs began, he grabbed the younger man's arm and began to walk away but Tony ripped his arm free and turned to his father-in-law with anger in his eyes.

"LET'S GO?!" He demanded, "That's my wife in there!"

"And it's my daughter!" Gibbs yelled, but lowered his voice at the hurt look on Tony's face. "Now I know that this is hard for you, but it's no easier on me. You think I want to see my _daughter_ wasting away in a hospital room?!"

Tony swallowed the lump in his throat and looked at his feet. "No. I'm sorry, I know that this affects you too. It's just…" He looked up and didn't bother to hide the tears in his eyes, "I can't stand to see her like this."

Gibbs sighed, he fought back his own tears before surprising Tony by pulling him into a hug. After a few seconds, Gibbs patted the younger man on the back and let go. He took a step back and looked in his son-in-law's eyes.

"I know Tony," He said softly, "Me too."

Tony took a deep breath but nodded. Gibbs placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Right now the doctors have to focus on Ziva's health, the last thing they need is to be distracted by visitors refusing to leave. Now I wanna stay here just as bad as you, but for Ziva's sake, we can't."

Tony looked defeated as he nodded, _For Ziva's sake._

"Okay." He ran both hands through his hair before sighing, "Let's go."

~~~NCIS~~~

Tony sighed as he pulled into his driveway. He shut the mustang's motor off, but didn't get out of the car. Instead, he simply stared at the house in front of him.

Going inside seemed to be an impossible task. Even in the short week he and Ziva had lived there together they had created so many memories.

Tears gathered in Tony's eyes as he thought about the possibility that Ziva may never enter that house again.

He ran both hands through his hair, then blinked back the tears in his eyes.

"It's not fair." He banged his fist on the dashboard, "IT'S NOT FAIR!"

Tears were streaming down his face, but Tony didn't care. The only thing that mattered to him was Ziva, and now she might be gone forever.

Tony took a deep breath before his body began to shake with uncontrollable sobs. After his tears subsided, he wiped his eyes and got out of the car. He unlocked the front door and stepped inside.

Tony closed the door behind him, then silently went towards the bedroom. This morning, that room had been filled with joyful laughter when he and Ziva believed that her life was saved. Now, the silence was nearly unbearable as Tony changed into his pyjamas.

He got into bed and slipped under the covers without a word, painfully aware of the fact that he was sleeping alone tonight.

Half an hour later, and he was still thrashing around in bed, trying to move into any position that he could fall asleep in. Still, Tony knew the real reason why he couldn't sleep.

He looked over at the empty space where Ziva usually slept and sighed. He reached out and gently placed his hand on her pillow. "I need you Ziva, please come back to me."

Tears welled up in Tony's eyes and slid down his cheek. "I love you."

~~~NCIS~~~

Tony was already awake and ready to leave the house by the time his alarm clock went off. He sighed as he looked at the time, _8:00._

He shut the alarm off and left the bedroom quietly. He grabbed his keys from the kitchen counter and decided to skip breakfast as he headed out the door—he wasn't hungry anyways.

Tony got in his car and began driving towards the hospital. He was almost there when his cell phone rang. After checking the caller ID, Tony's heart sank. _It's Jenny._

Tony's hand was shaking as he reached for the phone. They had all agreed the night before that Jenny would go to the hospital first in the morning. Tony would take over at 8:30. In case anything happened before then, Jenny had promised to call. Still, after the condition that Ziva was in when Tony left the hospital last night… an update wasn't a good thing.

Tony took a deep breath before snapping the phone open and holding it up to his ear, "Hello?"

"_Tony?" _Jenny questioned and Tony nodded, then realized she couldn't see him.

"Yeah it's me," Tony took a deep breath before questioning, "Is everything okay?"

Tony's heart was racing as he waited for Jenny to answer, thankfully, she didn't keep him waiting long.

"_They're moving Ziva."_

"What?" Tony asked in confusion, pulled his car to a stop in the hospital parking lot and stared out his windshield.

"_They're moving her. The doctor said that she's no longer at a risk of infection so she doesn't need to be in a sterilized environment. She hasn't given any signs of waking up yet, but we can at least be in the room with her now." _Jenny paused before adding, "_I know this isn't the news we were all hoping for, but it is good news nonetheless."_

Tony grew silent; his head was spinning as he processed the new information.

Even though he was relieved that Ziva was no longer at a risk of infection, Tony couldn't help but worry over the fact that Ziva still hadn't woken up. Despite the fact that he wasn't a doctor, even Tony knew that the longer a person spent in a coma the less likely it becomes that they'll ever wake up.

"_Tony?" _Jen asked and Tony searched for the right words. He didn't want to ruin Jenny's excitement, but he couldn't help but worry about the fact that Ziva's condition wasn't improving.

"That's… great. It's, it's really good news."

Jen let out a sigh, _"Look Tony, I know you're worried that Ziva hasn't woken up yet, but give it time. Don't get me wrong I'm worried too, but... we can't give up hope."_

Tony sighed and blinked back tears, "I know, it's just… I can't stand not being able to help her."

Tony heard Jenny sigh, _"There may be something we can do…"_

"Anything."

"_I was talking to the doctor and he recommended holding her hand or talking or reading to her."_

"How will that help?" Tony asked sceptically as he got out of the car.

"_I'm not sure exactly… you should ask the doctor, he's been very helpful. Anyways, I was just calling to let you know that Ziva is now in room 308 on floor nine."_

"Okay, I'm on my way up."

"_Bye."_

"Bye." Tony snapped his phone shut and put it in his pocket, then stepped in the elevator and pressed the button that would take him to floor nine.

When the elevator stopped, Tony stepped out and began looking for room 308. After a few minutes of searching, he found it.

The door was open so he simply walked in, a smile crossed his face when he saw Ziva. Tony wasted no time in walking to her side and sitting down in the available chair. He took Ziva's hand in his own and kissed it. His heart was breaking as he whispered into her limp hand, "Please wake up Ziva. You gotta come back to me."

Tony looked up when someone cleared their throat from the doorway.

"I'm Dr. Mallard." The man introduced himself and Tony stood up to shake the man's hand.

"Anthony DiNozzo, you can call me Tony."

The old man smiled, "Very well, you may call me Ducky."

Tony smirked at the nickname but nodded, "Sure… Ducky. So you're Ziva's doctor?"

The doctor nodded, "Precisely."

Tony nodded thoughtfully before glancing at Ziva, "How… Has Ziva improved at all?"

Ducky looked at Ziva and shook his head, "What an injustice that someone so young would have to suffer through something like this." He took a deep breath before turning towards Tony, "I am sorry to inform you that Mrs. DiNozzo's condition has not improved much. She's no longer at a risk of infection, as I'm sure your mother-in-law already told you, but other than that there's been no change."

Tony nodded slowly, "Do you think… do you think that she'll wake up?"

Ducky looked hesitant to answer, "My dear boy, I am afraid that I can never be certain about these things."

Tony closed his eyes, knowing that such an evasion of the question meant that her chances weren't good.

"However…" Ducky continued at the devastated look on Tony's face. "As I told your mother-in-law, there are certain steps you may take to increase your wives' chances."

"Yeah…" Tony scratched his head, "I was going to ask you, what good does talking to her do?"

Ducky smiled softly and shook his head slowly, "I suspect that you, like many others, do not fully understand the comatose state. You see, while in a coma, most patients are fully aware of their surroundings."

Tony raised his eyebrows and looked at Ducky in disbelief, "She can hear us?"

"Precisely." Ducky smiled at the younger man, "Patients often find it encouraging to be spoken or read to and a simple gesture such as holding their hand can be very comforting."

Tony nodded slowly, then turned to look at his wife, "Thank you doctor. I appreciate your help."

"Never a problem, my boy." The aging doctor smiled and Tony couldn't help but return it, there was something he liked about this man.

Tony resumed his seat next to Ziva and took her hand in his own. "Hey Zee."

Ziva's heart monitors showed no response to Tony's actions but he continued to talk to her. "I want you to know that I love you. I… I'm not sure if you can hear me or not but I want you to know that I'm here. I would've been here sooner but I wasn't allowed in your room because you needed a 'sterile environment' so you wouldn't get infected after your surgery."

Tony took a deep breath and continued, "You're doing better now though. I'm allowed to be in your room and talk to you now. It's not a major improvement but it's an improvement. It's uh… it's like they say. 'One step at a time,' right?"

When Ziva remained unresponsive, Tony sighed. "When, uh… When you get out of here—"

Tony was cut off when Ziva's heart monitor began to beep faster and faster. He looked at his wife with wide eyes, and his heart dropped when she the heart monitor went haywire.

"ZIVA!" He screamed, he grabbed her hand and willed her heart rate to return to normal. When it didn't Tony dropped Ziva's hand and ran to the doorway. "I NEED A DOCTOR! HELP! I NEED A DOCTOR NOW!"

Ducky came rushing into the room and his eyes widened when he saw Ziva's heart monitor. He yelled to some of the staff and began pushing Tony out of the room.

"Wait, no. I need to be here, she's my wife!" Tony protested but Ducky shook his head.

"No Anthony. You must leave so that I may help her."

"But—"

"LEAVE!" Ducky demanded as he shoved Tony out the door. Tony swallowed the lump in his throat as several nurses rushed past him into the room.

Tony watched in horror as they connected wires to Ziva's chest. His heart dropped when Ziva's monitor flat-lined.

"Clear!" Ducky shouted and Tony didn't bother to hide his tears as the doctor pressed the paddles onto his wife's chest.

Ziva's body shook but became still once again.

"Clear!" Ducky yelled before pressing the paddles to Ziva's chest once more. Tony was unable to see the result when a nurse shut the door, cutting off his view of the room.

Tony's heart was pounding as he sank to the ground, "Please," He begged as silent sobs racked his body, "Please don't leave me."

* * *

**I know, you don't have to say it. I am evil. It is absolutely cruel to leave you with a cliff hanger like this but I gotta be honest, I **_**love**_** cliff hangers and I **_**love**_** suspense. It keeps you guys guessing and keeps you interested. **

**I will tell you right now though, you will find out in the very next chapter whether Ziva will live or not. With this ending it's possible either way. :P She could be saved, or she could die and both would work. I'll keep you guys guessing, but I've already decided which is going to happen. :p (Again, I know I'm evil.)**

**I will try to update quickly but reviews inspire me to do so. :p Thanks for reading and I hope you liked it!**

**(PS. I was actually kind of proud of how in-character Ducky seemed. Do you think so too or is it just me? Lol, I don't have him in many of my stories so I thought that I should at least have him in this one. Anyways… hope you liked it!)**


	17. Chapter 17

Title: A Walk To Remember

Chapter: 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of all other non-original characters from the show.**

Author's note: Hey! So I'm sorry that it's been so long since my last update, but exams start tomorrow (ah! I still have to study!) and I've been extremely busy with final projects. Anyways… that was quite a cliffy on the last chapter but you'll probably love AND hate this update! Lol, I won't say anything else, other than enjoy and thanks for your reviews! (They were awesome!)

* * *

_Tony watched in horror as they connected wires to Ziva's chest. His heart dropped when Ziva's monitor flat-lined._

_"Clear!" Ducky shouted and Tony didn't bother to hide his tears as the doctor pressed the paddles onto his wife's chest. _

_Ziva's body shook but became still once again. _

_"Clear!" Ducky yelled before pressing the paddles to Ziva's chest once more. Tony was unable to see the result when a nurse shut the door, cutting off his view of the room._

_Tony's heart was pounding as he sank to the ground, "Please," He begged as silent sobs racked his body, "Please don't leave me."

* * *

_

Tony pushed himself up off the ground and began pacing. He fought the urge to hurl when he heard Ducky order the nurse to raise the power on the defibrillator. _It's not working... _

Tony ran both hands through his hair and continued pacing. He tried his best to hear what was being said in the next room but only caught the rare word.

A few seconds later, everything grew quiet. Ducky's voice could no longer be heard yelling "clear" and there was no audible noise being made by the defibrillator. Everything was silent.

Five minutes passed and still no noise was made, Tony's heart fell as he realized what this most likely meant. At that moment, the door opened and Ducky stepped out. He closed the door behind him then turned to Tony with a serious expression on his face.

Tony closed his eyes, knowing that whatever he was about to hear wasn't good.

"I'm sorry my boy," Ducky began and Tony felt his legs grow weak. He placed his hands on the walls and braced himself. "Would you like to hear the good or the bad news first?"

"Good." Tony replied without thinking, right now he _needed_ some good news.

"The good news is that she's alive." Tony's shoulders fell forward in relief as he heard the doctor's words. Whatever he said next didn't matter as long as she would live.

"The bad news," Ducky continued, "is that there's been a setback. I believe she's fallen deeper into her coma."

Tony's back went rigid. Going deeper into her coma lessened Ziva's chances of ever getting out and never getting out meant…

"Can I see her?" He asked, refusing to dwell on the thought.

Ducky nodded. "Of course my boy. Do you want me to call the young lady's parents or would you like to do it?"

Tony sighed and ran his hands through his hair, feeling like a jerk for not thinking of Jenny and Gibbs sooner. No matter how worried he was about Ziva, they loved her too and deserved to know when something like this was happening.

"No," Tony shook his head, "I'll do it, thanks."

"Never a problem, dear boy. There's a telephone in your wife's room if you need it."

Tony nodded gave the doctor a small smile before entering Ziva's room. He immediately went to her side and took her hand in his own.

Tony sat down in the chair provided and kissed the back of Ziva's hand. He reached forward and stroked her hair lovingly, "I love you so much Zee. Please don't do that to me again. I can't even tell you how scared I was."

Tony blinked back tears as he squeezed Ziva's hand, "Come on Zee. You gotta keep fighting this thing, okay? Keep fighting it for me."

Ziva showed no response but Tony took comfort in knowing that she could hear him. "Ziva? I'm going to call your parents and let them know you're okay, is that alright? I'm letting go of your hand but I'm not going anywhere."

~~~NCIS~~~

Tony sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He looked at Ziva and shook his head. _It should be me in that bed, not her. It should never be her…_

"Tony! Is she alright? How is she?" Jenny asked as she ran into the room, Gibbs following closely behind her.

Tony flashed them the best smile he could come up with, but even he knew it looked weak.

"She's alive. There's been a setback and she's a little further in the coma than before but everything will be fine."Tony answered Jenny's question, but he said the words to reassure himself as much as he said them to reassure her. "I've been talking to her for a while, Ducky said that she can hear us and it will comfort her."

Gibbs nodded; he placed a comforting arm around Jenny's waist before looking at Ziva. As tough as Gibbs was, he had a hard time keeping his emotions under control while seeing the daughter he loved so much in this condition.

"She can hear us?" Gibbs questioned and Tony nodded.

Gibbs looked at Tony, then Jenny and finally his daughter. "I need to talk to her." When no one made a move to leave, Gibbs added, "Alone."

Tony sighed. He stole one more glance at Ziva before standing up. As much as he didn't want to leave her, he'd had his time alone with Ziva and Gibbs deserved the same.

Jenny followed Tony out of Ziva's room, she understood her husband's need for privacy.

The ex-marine closed the door behind them before turning to look at Ziva. He sighed and took the seat next to her bed.

"Ziva," He began, his voice uncharacteristically soft, "I know you can hear me and I want you to listen. I've always done my best to be strong for you and now I'm asking you to be strong for me. Don't give up just yet. I know that you're tired,"

Gibbs paused a moment, then took Ziva's hand in his own and continued, "I was tired too when I was in my coma a few years ago. But I woke up and you need to too. Now you've got a lot to live for. I know you've lost a lot of people you've cared about in your life, but Tony, your mother and I care about you too. We're not going anywhere anytime soon so come on, stay strong for us."

Gibbs swallowed the lump in his throat. He was never one to cry but even he couldn't deny that this moment had him close to tears, "We need you Ziver." He closed his eyes and softly corrected, "_I _need you. I… love you."

Gibbs took a deep breath before standing up, he let go of Ziva's hand and kissed her gently on the forehead, "Keep fighting."

With that, Gibbs walked to the door and opened it, allowing Tony and Jen back into the room. Tony took the seat next to Ziva's bed and took her hand in his own.

Everyone simply stared at Ziva, willing her to come out of her coma… still, they were surprised when she did just that.

Everyone stared at her for a few moments in shock, but Gibbs was the first to recover. He quickly ran out of the room and returned only a few seconds later with Ducky who came rushing into the room.

The old doctor went about his duties, murmuring to himself about how her recovery was "a miracle."

Finally, Ducky stood back and watched in awe as Ziva blinked. She looked around in confusion and opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

"Oh dear, how could I have forgotten?" Ducky wondered aloud as he quickly ran to get her a glass of water. He returned less than a minute later and couldn't help but smile when he saw Gibbs and Jenny hugging. The usually well-composed Director of NCIS was now crying tears of joy while her husband held her close, a small but truly happy smile crossing his face.

Ducky handed Ziva the water, then smiled at Tony who was still sitting in the chair next to her bed, staring at her in wonder.

Ziva's hand was shaking with, what was to her, the major effort of lifting the glass of water to her mouth. She took a few quick drinks, then handed it back to Ducky, her hand shaking even harder.

Ducky smiled as he took the glass, "How are you, my dear?"

Ziva looked at Ducky oddly, but noticed that he was a doctor and answered, "I'm… fine." She looked around the room and tried to get her blurry vision to focus, "I'm… tired."

Ducky smiled, "Yes my dear. That is to be expected. You'll be a little weaker for a while but don't fret, you will regain your strength." He took a deep breath before questioning, "I must ask, however, do you remember why you're here?"

Ziva shook her head and Ducky smiled at everyone else's worried looks. "Don't worry. Short-term memory loss is to be expected, it's the brain's way of protecting itself." He turned to Ziva and explained, "You fell into a coma after a successful heart-transplant that saved your life. You've been under for only a couple of days so brain damage will be either minimal or non-existent."

Ziva nodded weakly and Ducky noticed her pale complexion, "You need sleep my dear, but before you do, I should ask… do you have any questions?"

Ziva shook her throbbing head, all she wanted now was to rest.

"Well…" Ducky turned to look at Ziva's family, "Then I suggest that everyone leave so that Mrs. DiNozzo can rest undisturbed."

"Mrs. DiNozzo?" Ziva finally spoke, her head was spinning as the doctor looked at her in concern.

"Yes my dear, that is your name. Do you recall who you are?"

Ziva closed her eyes in an effort to lessen the pain in her head, "I…" She wet her lips and tried again, "My name is _Ziva David_."

* * *

**Wow. Talk about a "dun dun dun…" moment, lol. Seriously, I know you guys probably hate them but I just **_**love**_** cliff hangers! They're so wonderful! :) **

**Anyways… I let her live, but I bet this wasn't exactly how you pictured her recovery was it? Lol, sorry but I didn't want to have the typically, "She's awake, now everything is perfect!" scenario. Now, whether or not everything works out alright… you'll have to read the next chapter to find that out. :p **

**Anyways… I will try to update quickly, but exams start tomorrow (this is technically a study day but I **_**had**_** to update) and so I'll be a little busy. No promises, but I **_**might**_** get one up tomorrow… Don't count on it though because then you won't be disappointed if I don't and you will be pleasantly surprised if I do, lol. Anyways, please review and let me know how you like!**

**So... will she remember or not? I already have my mind made up but if you think you know… all I'm saying is that you might be wrong. Like I said before, I'll try to update quick and please review!**


	18. Chapter 18

Title: A Walk To Remember

Chapter: 18

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership** **of all other non-original characters from the show.**

Author's note:I updated! Lol, I am seriously surprised that I was able to find the time and although I should be studying for my next exam tomorrow, I just _had_ to update! Anyways… this is the last chapter (sorry!) but I hope that you guys liked this story. I also want to thank you all for reading it and especially for sending in reviews! I loved them! Anyways… There's a long A/N at the bottom so I'll stop talking now. :P Enjoy!

* * *

"_Well…" Ducky turned to look at Ziva's family, "Then I suggest that everyone leave so that Mrs. DiNozzo can rest undisturbed."_

"_Mrs. DiNozzo?" Ziva finally spoke, her head was spinning as the doctor looked at her in concern._

"_Yes my dear, that is your name. Do you recall who you are?"_

_Ziva closed her eyes in an effort to lessen the pain in her head, "I…" She wet her lips and tried again, "My name is Ziva David."

* * *

_

Tony's heart dropped and the smile fell from his face at his wife's words. Everyone looked at Ziva in concern. Ducky, after overcoming his shock, began questioning the confused woman before him.

"What is your last memory my dear?"

Ziva put a hand to her head in an effort to stop the room from spinning, "I..." A tear slipped down her face but Ziva refused to let any more escape, "I have a heart disease. I just came back from the doctor's office and went to bed."

Gibbs and Jenny exchanged worried looks, this wasn't good. Gibbs wrapped a supportive arm around Jen's waist. What should have been one of the happiest moments of their lives had so quickly turned into a tragedy.

"Ziva." Tony spoke up from his wife's side. He wore a heartbroken expression but forced himself to question, "Do you remember me?"

Ziva looked over at Tony, but her mind couldn't register who he was. She closed her eyes and racked her brain, hoping that she could recall anything about the man who stood before her. Finally, she opened her eyes. Nothing.

She shook her head slowly and Tony looked devastated. He took Ziva's hand in his own and squeezed it gently, "Come on Zee, try to remember."

Ziva looked at Tony, then dropped her gaze to the hand he was holding. Tony noticed this and dropped it immediately before backing up with a mix of embarrassment, disbelief and devastation on his face.

"You really don't," Tony's voice cracked but he wet his lips and tried again, "You really don't remember me?"

Ziva noted the pain in the man's eyes and couldn't help but feel guilty. It was obvious that she should know him yet… she didn't.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, ashamed of herself for forgetting someone who obviously cared for her. She stared down at her hands and questioned, "Who… who are you?"

Tony looked at her for a moment, blinking back tears. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it and ran out of her room.

Ziva looked at her parents in concern.

"Did I say something wrong?" She questioned and they gave her sympathetic looks. Gibbs walked over to Ziva and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"I'm glad you're okay Ziva, don't worry about any of this, okay?" Ziva nodded and Gibbs flashed her a reassuring smile, "Good. I've got to go talk to…" Gibbs paused when he realized Ziva didn't know Tony's name, "the man who just left. I'll be back soon, okay?"

Ziva nodded slowly, Gibbs was almost out of her room when she told him, "I love you Dad."

Gibbs blinked back tears as he heard Ziva's words. Ever since they'd learned of her heart disease and especially since she fell into her coma, Gibbs had feared that he'd never hear her say that again.

He stopped in the doorway and a small, but happy smile crossed his face. "I love you too Ziver."

With that he left in search of Tony. Gibbs new that this upcoming talk wasn't going to be a pleasant one, but he didn't envy Jen either—she'd have to explain everything to Ziva.

Gibbs thought back to the days after he woke up from his coma so many years ago. There was nothing more frustrating than having lost a memory. Still… Ziva had it worse. She forgot falling in love, getting married, being saved and everything in between. While Gibbs had forgotten many bad memories, Ziva lost happy ones.

Gibbs continued to worry over his daughter and how she would take the news as he looked for Tony. After half an hour of searching the whole hospital and finding nothing, Gibbs sighed and slowly began walking back to Ziva's room. Tony obviously didn't want to be found so he may as well afford the young man with some time to himself—after learning what he just did, anyone would need it.

As Gibbs approached Ziva's room, however, he saw someone sitting on the ground next to her door. The man had his face buried in his hands and it was obvious he'd been crying.

Gibbs sighed and walked over to the young man. He sat down on the ground next to Tony and placed a hand on the young man's shoulder to alert him of his presence.

"Tony." Gibbs began when Tony remained silent. "I know that this is difficult, but—"

"But what, _Gibbs?!"_ Tony asked, his head snapping up to look the older man in the eyes. Even Gibbs was surprised by the ferocity in Tony's voice. "I really don't think you _do_ know how difficult this is! As I recall she remembered you _perfectly!"_

Gibbs clenched his jaw and fought the urge to head-slap Tony for thinking he was the only one hurting in this. Still, Gibbs knew that Tony was simply lashing out at others in an effort to dull the numbing pain inside of him.

Tony, however seemed oblivious to Gibbs' self-restraint as he began to rant.

"I mean, what? Does she just care for you more than she does me? Did she ever care about me? Is _that_ why she doesn't remember me, because she doesn't believe there's nothing worth remembering? Or worse yet, does she remember and is playing dumb to get out of this marriage? Did she marry me because she loves me or because she didn't want to die alone? Was our whole love a lie?!"

Tony shook his head as he finished his rant, "Why doesn't she remember me?"

He looked at Gibbs with dark green eyes that demanded answers, yet they were answers Gibbs was unable to give.

Tony closed his eyes and forced an unhappy laugh, "I mean, do I even mean _anything _to her?!"

At this, Gibbs found himself unable to show anymore restraint. He lifted his hand and promptly smacked Tony on the back of the head. Tony looked at him with wide eyes but Gibbs refused to show any more pity.

"Stop pitying yourself DiNozzo. You're not the only one who's hurting in all this. You think any of it is easy on Ziva?"

Tony remained speechless so Gibbs continued, "Well it's not. In fact, it's probably worse. At least you still have all the memories of all the good times you spent together. At least _you_ remember _your wedding!_ Ziva doesn't remember any of it! Now the last thing she needs right now is you doubting if she ever really loved you or not!"

Tony closed his eyes at his inner turmoil. He placed his head in his hands.

Gibbs eyes turned to ice as he looked at the young man before him. "Are you leaving her?"

Tony's head shot straight up at Gibbs' words.

"What?" He asked the older man and Gibbs didn't bother to hide the rage in his eyes.

"You heard me, _DiNozzo. Are. You. Going. To. Leave. Her?"_

When Tony didn't answer Gibbs' rage grew, "Because I swear if you leave her now when she needs you the most I will not stop myself from beating the crap outta you!"

Gibbs yelled the threat and several people were now looking at the two men in concern, but he didn't care. All that mattered right now was Ziva and whether or not Tony was going to break his daughter's heart. Although she wouldn't understand the loss now, Gibbs was sure that she'd remember sometime and if Tony left…

Gibbs clenched his fists as he thought about how badly the man before him was about to cause his daughter.

"No." Tony answered as soon as he got over the shock from Gibbs' accusation. Not it was his turn to get angry. He looked at the older man with darkened green eyes and was barely able to keep his voice even, "How dare you ever ask me that?"

Gibbs stared Tony down, but was surprised to see the younger man stand his ground—something that few people did with him.

As soon as he was sure that Tony wasn't lying, Gibbs nodded approvingly, "Good. Because if you ever left—"

"I wouldn't." Tony stated with confidence as he cut Gibbs off. The older man nodded.

"Okay." He waited until Tony was standing up and looking in Ziva's room before questioning, "What if she never gets her memory back?"

Tony paused for a moment as he considered his answer. It broke his heart to know that it was very likely she never would remember.

Still, there was no way he'd ever leave her. Tony took in Ziva's sleeping form and couldn't help but smile at how peaceful she looked. He never took his eyes off her while answering Gibbs, "Then I guess we'll have to fall in love all over again."

* * *

**I'm sorry, but I **_**seriously **_**love that last line. As sad as it was, I like this chapter. **

**I'm also sad to say that it's the end of this story. I liked this ending because Ziva survived, but there are still difficulties ahead that she and Tony have to overcome so it's not a "fairy-tale ending." I know you guys tend to love those endings, but I really like this one. **

**I also know that there's SO much more I could write for this story, but I kind of see this as the perfect place to stop. I don't know… Tell me if I'm wrong but like I said, this way the story has a happy ending (after Aliyah there was no way that I was going to have a depressing end) but isn't so cheesy. (Don't get me wrong I tend to love cheesy stories but I sort of like this ending even better because it's more realistic and it shows Tony's true love that he's not going to run away when things aren't perfect.)**

**:D Thanks for reading and please review!**

***Also, I really need your help. My next story was a suggestion by ****Selonianth and it's about how Tony and Ziva kind of switch lives. (Not like Freaky Friday where they want to get back to their old selves, but that Tony grew up in Israel and Ziva is American.) **

**I'm not sure what to do for a few of the events in the story so (this is going to sound weird) but I'm going to ask you to choose a letter which stands for different events. There are two questions and I really appreciate your help! (With the letters, you don't know what's going to happen so it's still a surprise and it's more of a random choice by you guys than if you know and people are divided on decisions.) Lol, I know it sounds weird but I really appreciate those who help me on this!**

**Question 1: ****S**** or ****C**

**Question 2: ****T**** or ****Z**

**Thanks so much! Like I said before, I know it sounds weird, but this way it's still a surprise and I don't have to chose. :p Lol**

**Thanks for reading this story!**


	19. Sequel now up!

Hi everyone! I want to apologize for the (very) long wait, but am also VERY happy to say that the sequel to this story is now up. I titled it "Rebuilding Broken Lives" and it's all about Tony and Ziva trying to rebuild their lives and marriage after everything that's happened… Of course I can't make it too easy on them, and I'll have some of the twists I know you all love (well… at least I love them :P).

Anyways, a lot of people said yes when I asked if they wanted a sequel to this story so it's now up for those interested. Enjoy! :D


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